The European Union on Saturday called on Israel to immediately allow a greater flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, where heavy rains have flooded tens of thousands of tents. According to the United Nations, about 1.4 million Palestinians are living in tents and makeshift shelters.
The EU appealed for all border crossings into the Gaza Strip to be opened and for U.N. agencies and humanitarian organizations to be given unhindered access to people in need. A statement on the website of the Council of the European Union stressed that intense rainfall and winter weather are further worsening living conditions for a population exhausted by years of war.
On Friday, 53 countries and organizations, led by the United Kingdom, Qatar and Jordan, called on Israel to immediately increase deliveries of winter aid to the Gaza Strip, warning of hypothermia, respiratory illnesses and waterborne infections.
According to the latest report from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the downpours, which began on Nov. 6, have affected about 226,000 people from more than 46,000 households. More than 40,000 makeshift shelters have been damaged, including more than 9,000 that were destroyed to the point that they can no longer be used.
Palestinian rescue services reported the deaths of at least five people, including three children, after a sand hill collapsed onto tents. OCHA also reported on Sunday that an infant had drowned.
The flooding is especially severe because of the enormous scale of wartime destruction. According to the U.N., as many as 82% of buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or damaged, including more than 370,000 housing units. About 1.4 million people, or 65% of residents, live in tents and makeshift shelters.
Many tents are worn out and leaky, and some camps are located in areas at risk of flooding. OCHA stressed that sewage networks and stormwater drainage systems damaged during the war are causing water to mix with sewage, increasing the risk of disease spreading.
OCHA warns that supplies of tents, tarps and blankets in the Gaza Strip are nearly exhausted, while more than 150,000 tents purchased by humanitarian organizations and donor countries are waiting outside the enclave to be delivered.
COGAT, the Israeli agency responsible for coordinating aid for Palestinians, said this week that more than 93,000 tents and 8,600 trucks carrying winter supplies and other essential equipment have been delivered to the Gaza Strip.
Israel rejects accusations that it is not allowing enough aid to be delivered, saying they “distract from Hamas’ responsibility,” the Times of Israel reported. (PAP)
