Children’s Fund, UNICEFhighlighted the case of six-year-old twins Yahya and Nabeela who were seriously injured by unexploded remnants of war in the war-ravaged north of the enclave.
They receive mental health support from the agency and tarps to protect them from the cold.
Even though it hasn’t rained in a few days, the many families living in tents are still struggling to recover from the weekend’s sudden heavy downpours.
Degraded and scared
Tess Ingram from UNICEF in Gaza described the plight of a displaced family whose tent was flooded. Wafa is a mother of five who was in tears.
“She said there were times when she wished she had been in the family home with the children when it was bombed,” said Ms. Ingram, who added that Wafa spoke of “the death of dignity that they have experienced in recent days.”
Ms Ingram said around 18,000 households were affected in more than 100 sites by the recent rains, but many more families were likely to be affected.
Winter needs exceed humanitarian aid in the context of a health crisis
As winter approaches, the UN’s humanitarian partners warn that shelter supplies entering Gaza remain far below what is needed. Fewer than 60,000 tents and just over 300,000 tarpaulins and bedding have entered since early September, after a six-month ban was lifted.
“The volume of incoming items is simply not enough“, declared the UN spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, on Wednesday during the daily press briefing in New York.
Child protection partners have distributed 48,000 winter clothing kits since the ceasefire, providing some relief to families trying to keep their children warm.
Water and sanitation teams have delivered diapers, towels, jerry cans and other hygiene essentials to around 400,000 people over the past two days.
Sanitation system in ruins
With Gaza’s sewage treatment system effectively destroyed, partners describe sanitation in the strip as “deplorable”.
In northern Gaza, the Sheikh Radwan ponds are at risk of overflowing again, forcing emergency measures to discharge sewage into the sea. Public health risks are increasing, including spread of bacterial infections linked to contaminated water and waste.
Nutrition partners report a slight decline in malnutrition cases in October, although admissions remain nearly four times higher than during the previous ceasefire in January.
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
