Gaza’s shelter crisis is ‘most dangerous’ disaster of war: Authorities

More than 288,000 families successful Gaza are enduring a structure situation arsenic Israeli restrictions connected humanitarian supplies worsen conditions for Palestinians displaced by the war, the territory’s Government Media Office says.

Local authorities said successful a connection connected Monday that dense rainfall implicit caller days submerged tens of thousands of makeshift tents crossed Gaza, leaving Palestinians suffering nether conditions that “no nine tin endure”.

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The Government Media Office warned that Palestinians are facing “the astir unsafe humanitarian disaster” since the warfare began with Israel “deliberately deepening the catastrophe” done its blockade of indispensable structure materials.

“We powerfully condemn this ongoing transgression committed by the [Israeli] concern against civilians,” it said.

“We clasp the concern afloat liable for the suffering of hundreds of thousands of displaced radical who are facing the harshness of wintertime without harmless structure oregon basal services, and for its catastrophic transgression of insisting connected wholly closing the crossings and preventing the introduction of structure supplies.”

The flooding began connected Thursday erstwhile the archetypal wintertime tempest deed Gaza. The United Nations confirmed much than 13,000 households were affected wrong hours.

Conditions deteriorated implicit the pursuing days arsenic the rainfall continued, overwhelming the worn tents that person housed displaced families for astir 2 years.

Many displacement camps beryllium astatine little elevations than surrounding areas. Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reported connected Monday that “some areas are wholly submerged” aft h2o rushed successful from each sides.

Gaza authorities said the enclave requires 300,000 tents and mobile homes to supply basal shelter, a fig they person “clearly stated” for months.

However, Israel has prevented their introduction contempt a ceasefire that came into effect connected October 10.

More than 80 percent of buildings crossed Gaza person been damaged oregon destroyed during the war, according to UN figures, forcing monolithic displacement.

Rights experts person said Israel’s run that turned astir of Gaza into rubble amounts to genocide. Actions that constitute a genocide, according to the United Nations, see “deliberately inflicting connected [a] radical conditions of beingness calculated to bring astir its carnal demolition successful full oregon successful part”.

On Monday, the Government Media Office accused Israel of “continuing its argumentation of regularisation and preventing the introduction of tents, tarps and integrative covers” portion keeping borderline crossings closed and “reneging connected implementing the humanitarian protocol” it signed arsenic portion of the ceasefire.

COGAT, the Israeli subject bureau liable for coordinating assistance deliveries to Gaza, has repeatedly rejected allegations that it is restricting humanitarian supplies.

But Philippe Lazzarini, caput of the UN bureau for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), described the concern past week arsenic “misery connected apical of misery” and warned that Gaza’s fragile shelters “quickly flood, soaking people’s belongings”.

UNRWA said it has capable supplies waiting successful Jordan and Egypt to capable 6,000 trucks, including nutrient to prolong Gaza’s full colonisation for 3 months. Yet Israeli restrictions mean lone astir fractional the required 500 to 600 assistance trucks a time are entering the territory.

UNRWA has besides said it cannot bring pens and notebooks into the territory nether import rules imposed by Israeli authorities.

Aid groups warned successful aboriginal November that astir 260,000 Palestinian families, totalling astir 1.5 cardinal people, faced vulnerability arsenic wintertime approached.

Natalie Boucly, a elder UNRWA official, said Israel is breaching planetary humanitarian instrumentality by maintaining restrictions. Boucly cited the Fourth Geneva Convention and a caller International Court of Justice ruling that recovered Israel indispensable guarantee Palestinians person “essential supplies of regular life”.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said during a sojourn to assistance warehouses successful Jordan this period that Israel has “no excuse” for delaying humanitarian supplies.

‘Aid restrictions are wholly political’

Professor Mukesh Kapila of the University of Manchester said the restrictions correspond deliberate strategy alternatively than logistical problems.

“Accessing Gaza is 1 of the easiest regions wherever a humanitarian situation is happening, truthful this is wholly a governmental act,” helium told Al Jazeera.

“It is simply a deliberate Israeli strategy to support up unit connected Hamas connected the hostages and perchance disarmament, but it is compounding quality suffering successful Gaza.”

The Government Media Office connection called connected United States President Donald Trump and mediator countries to the ceasefire to “take superior and contiguous enactment to unit the concern to comply with what it signed” successful the truce and humanitarian protocol.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, astatine slightest 266 radical person been killed since the truce began with Israeli forces carrying retired strikes astir regular adjacent successful areas wherever troops were expected to withdraw.