UNRWA reports harsh winter is worsening suffering for Gazans

(MENAFN) Severe winter conditions in the Gaza Strip are intensifying the humanitarian crisis, UN agency officials said Sunday, more than two years after the outbreak of Israeli military operations.

Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), described the situation as one of “more rain, more human misery, despair and death,” noting that many residents are surviving in flimsy, waterlogged tents or amid rubble. He stressed that aid deliveries are insufficient to meet urgent needs.

The Palestinian government reported that Gaza requires roughly 200,000 prefabricated housing units to address urgent humanitarian needs for displaced persons. A polar low-pressure system—the third this winter—has brought heavy rain and strong winds, flooding tents and destroying shelters across the enclave.

Recent weather events have already caused fatalities and widespread displacement. Previous winter depressions killed 17 people, including four children, due to collapsed structures and the flooding of makeshift displacement tents.

UNRWA noted that its relief operations could scale up significantly if aid were allowed to enter Gaza at the levels required.

Since October 2023, ongoing Israeli genocide have killed more than 71,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,200 others, leaving the Gaza Strip extensively damaged and vulnerable to extreme weather impacts.

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