1328 GMT — Rain, aid blockade deepens crisis for 1 million Gaza residents — United Nations
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said it was “deeply concerned” by the devastating impact of winter on displaced people in the Gaza Strip, with nearly 1 million people still in need of urgent assistance.
IOM Director-General Amy Pope said in a statement: “At least seven vulnerable people, including young children, have died from hypothermia, and these tragic deaths require immediate evacuations to reach the people of Gaza.” “This highlights the urgent need for shelter and other support.”
IOM noted that heavy rains and flooding had overwhelmed evacuation sites and temporary shelters, and the UN Humanitarian Office reported that “systemic access restrictions” were severely hampering the delivery of aid, with It said only 285,000 people had received shelter assistance since September.
“As of mid-December, the Shelter Cluster, a coordinating group of the United Nations, international and local humanitarian agencies, said at least 945,000 people were still in urgent need of winter clothing to seal their shelters from the rain. “We estimate that they will need assistance with things like blankets, tarpaulins, and it’s cold.”
