UN warns situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate amid floods

Thousands of Palestinian families lost their shelters and belongings as rain and strong winds hit Gaza over the weekend, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in an update released on Monday.

The torrential rain, which began lashing the Strip on Friday night, flooded displacement sites, collapsed damaged buildings,and disrupted services across all five governorates.

An infant reportedly drowned, and five Gazans were killed, including three children, when a sand dune collapsed on their tents as the first heavy rains swept across the enclave at the weekend, according to OCHA.

Speaking from Ramallah, UN Deputy Special Coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov said that while rain could not be prevented, and more must be done to protect the vulnerable, noting that most Gazans are living in worn-out tents that cannot withstand what would be considered a moderate storm elsewhere.

The UN and its partners are pumping out water, improving drainage, reinforcing sites with sandbags, repairing shelters, and delivering emergency supplies. However, humanitarian stocks of tents, tarpaulins, blankets, and clothes inside Gaza are virtually exhausted. 

Alakbarov called for the urgent lifting of all unnecessary restrictions and delays, including those preventing aid organisations from bringing in enough vacuum trucks, dewatering pumps, heavy machinery, engine oil, spare parts, tents, tarpaulins, plastic sheeting, blankets, and winter clothing.

Meanwhile, strikes continue to hit populated areas. On Saturday, UN personnel visiting a displacement site in Gaza City had to take cover when gunfire erupted nearby, according to the organisation.