According to the Gaza Government Media Office, more than 288,000 families are facing a shelter crisis as a result of Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid.
Palestinians are suffering in conditions that “no society can endure,” according to a statement released on Monday from the local authorities. Tens of thousands of tents have been submerged in the past few days due to heavy rain.
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Palestinians have been subject to “the most dangerous humanitarian disaster” since the start of the conflict, according to the government media office, which Israel has “deliberately contributed to adâncening the catastrophe” through its obstruct to essential shelter supplies.
The Israeli occupation continues to commit crimes against civilians, it said.
“We hold the occupation completely responsible for the suffering of hundreds of thousands of displaced people who are without safe shelter or basic services in the harsh winters, and for its catastrophic crime of requiring the occupation to completely close the crossings and preventing the entry of shelter supplies.”
The first winter storm to hit Gaza on Thursday caused the flooding to start. More than 13, 000 homes were immediately affected, according to the United Nations.
As the rain continued over the following days, conditions continued to worsen, overtaking the worn-out tents that have been a shelter for displaced families for almost two years.
Lower elevations than the surrounding areas are where many displacement camps are located. Hani Mahmoud of Al Jazeera reported on Monday that “some areas are completely submerged” as a result of the water’s rush into them from all directions.
The enclave requires 300, 000 tents and mobile homes to provide basic shelter, according to Gaza authorities, who have “clearly stated” for months.
Despite a ceasefire that ended on October 10, Israel has obstructed their entry.
UN figures show that during the war, more than 80% of Gaza’s buildings suffered damage or destruction, leading to significant displacement.
According to experts in the field of human rights, Israel’s strategy amounts to genocide. According to the UN, “deliberately inflicting on]a] group conditions of life intended to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part” are among the acts that fall under the category of “genocide.”
The government media office criticized Israel on Monday for “remaining its policy of restrainting and preventing the entry of tents, tarps, and plastic covers,” keeping border crossings closed, and “rejecting the humanitarian protocol” it signed as part of the ceasefire.
The Israeli military organization COGAT, which coordinates aid deliveries to Gaza, has repeatedly refuted claims that it is restricting humanitarian supplies.
However, UNRWA’s head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, described the situation as “misery on top of misery” last week and warned that Gaza’s fragile shelters “quickly flood, soaking people’s belongings.”
UNRWA reported that it has enough food in Jordan and Egypt to fill 6, 000 trucks, including food, to last three months’ entire population in Gaza. Due to Israeli restrictions, only 500 to 600 of the daily entry requirements for aid trucks are made in the territory.
According to Israeli authorities’ import restrictions, UNRWA has also stated that it cannot import pens and notebooks into the territory.
Around 260, 000 Palestinian families, or nearly 1.5 million people, were exposed to vulnerability as the winter approached, according to a warning issued by aid organizations in early November.
By imposing restrictions, UNRWA senior UNRWA official Natalie Boucly claimed that Israel is still violating international humanitarian law. cited blatantly the Fourth Geneva Convention and a recent decision by the International Court of Justice that Israel was required to provide for Palestinians with “essential supplies of daily life.”
During a visit to Jordanian aid warehouses this month, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper claimed that Israel has “no excuse” for halting humanitarian supplies.
Aid restrictions are entirely political, according to the statement.
The University of Manchester professor Mukesh Kapila claimed that the restrictions are made with intention rather than by reason of necessity.
He told Al Jazeera, “This is entirely a political act because Gaza is one of the easiest areas to reach,” citing the humanitarian crisis in which it is occurring.
“Human suffering in Gaza is compounded by Israeli actions to keep up pressure on Hamas on the hostages and possibly to end it,” says the statement.
In a statement released by the government media office, the US president called on the mediator nations to “take serious and immediate action to force the occupation to abide by what it signed” in terms of the truce and humanitarian protocol.
Source: Aljazeera
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