DaysofPal – The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has sounded the alarm over an urgent need to deliver shelter materials and winter supplies into the Gaza Strip, warning that millions face cold and hunger as the enclave remains sealed off.
In a post on X on Saturday, UNRWA highlighted the increasing humanitarian needs as winter approaches, underscoring the dire conditions of displaced Palestinians who lack adequate shelter or warmth.
The agency said that critical supplies, including tents, blankets, and other essential materials, are currently stockpiled in UNRWA warehouses in Jordan and Egypt but have been prevented from entering Gaza.
The agency stressed that it must be permitted to resume its humanitarian operations, particularly following the start of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza on October 10.
“People cannot wait. They need protection and warmth now,” UNRWA stated, urging all parties to respect international humanitarian law and allow aid deliveries without obstruction.
However, Israel continues to block UNRWA’s work in the enclave. On Thursday, Israel’s public broadcaster cited an unnamed government official saying that Tel Aviv does not plan to allow the agency to resume its operations in Gaza. This position directly defies a recent ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ordered Israel to permit UNRWA to continue its activities and facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid.
On Wednesday evening, the ICJ said Palestinians in Gaza “have not received sufficient supplies” of food, medicine, and essential goods and ruled that Israel must cease using starvation as a weapon of war.
The court’s non-binding advisory opinion, requested by the UN General Assembly in December 2024, reaffirmed Israel’s obligations under international law to ensure humanitarian access to civilians in occupied territories.
The decision comes amid catastrophic conditions in Gaza following two years of relentless Israeli military operations. According to Palestinian authorities, the campaign has killed at least 68,280 people, wounded 170,375, and destroyed 90% of the Strip’s civilian infrastructure, including homes, schools, and hospitals.
As temperatures begin to drop, UNRWA’s warnings highlight the grave risk of further suffering. Without immediate access to aid and shelter, the displaced population, many of them children and the elderly, face the prospect of a harsh winter under plastic sheets and crumbling ruins.
Humanitarian groups have called on the international community to pressure Israel to comply with the ICJ ruling and allow aid convoys to enter Gaza. For now, however, UNRWA’s warehouses remain full, but Gaza’s people remain cold, hungry, and trapped.
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