DaysofPal- The United Nations has warned that thousands of displaced Palestinian families in Gaza are at heightened risk from flooding due to inadequate shelter conditions, as heavy winter rains continue to batter the territory.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said Tuesday that residents across Gaza remain “highly vulnerable” to severe weather, with many living in poorly equipped makeshift shelters that offer minimal protection against the elements.
“The United Nations and our partners are doing everything we can to alleviate the suffering,” Dujarric told reporters, while emphasizing that obstacles to humanitarian aid delivery persist. He accused the Israeli occupation of systematically blocking vital supplies and restricting access for UN-affiliated relief organizations.
The warnings came as dozens of tents housing displaced persons in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza were submerged following heavy downpours on Tuesday. Civil defense teams reported managing multiple inundated camps across the territory, with hundreds of tents flooded as rainwater pooled in low-lying areas.
Civil defense officials said displaced residents in al-Mawasi and the outskirts of Rafah are “drowning in their deteriorating tents” amid intense rainfall and atmospheric pressure systems, with rescue teams lacking the capacity and resources to respond effectively to the mounting crisis.
As winter deepens and weather conditions worsen, the humanitarian emergency intensifies for approximately 1.5 million people living in tent camps after losing their homes.
Strong winds have torn through remaining shelters, while rising floodwaters continue to destroy the few possessions families have retained after two years of conflict.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, at least 13,000 tents have been damaged by recent rains, destroying “what little shelter and belongings thousands of Palestinians in Gaza had left.”
Nearly 91% of all homes in Gaza are destroyed or damaged, leaving the majority of the population without safe, permanent shelter.
Aid organizations have distributed over 3,600 winterized tents, 129,000 tarpaulins, and 87,000 blankets this month, but efforts remain constrained by Israeli restrictions on shelter supply imports.
UNICEF warned that the combination of malnutrition, unsanitary conditions, and freezing winter weather significantly increases disease risk among Gaza’s vulnerable population, particularly the more than 320,000 children under five facing acute malnutrition.
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