Daijiworld Media Network - Gaza
Gaza, Dec 18: Harsh winter storms have further worsened the plight of hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza, with aid agencies warning that Israeli restrictions continue to prevent the delivery of critical shelter assistance across the besieged enclave.
The United Nations has said it has tents, blankets and other essential relief material ready to enter Gaza, but access through border crossings remains blocked or severely restricted by Israeli authorities.
In Gaza City’s Shati refugee camp, the roof of a war-damaged house collapsed during the storm, rescue workers said on Wednesday. Six Palestinians, including two children, were pulled alive from the rubble. The incident followed reports from Gaza’s Ministry of Health that a two-week-old Palestinian infant froze to death, underscoring the grave risks faced by children and the elderly living in inadequate shelters.
A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the storms had damaged or destroyed shelters and personal belongings across the territory, further disrupting humanitarian efforts.
“The disruption has affected approximately 30,000 children across Gaza. Urgent repairs are needed to ensure these activities can resume without delay,” said UN spokesperson Farhan Haq.
Echoing the concern, the Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza described the situation as “a true humanitarian catastrophe,” as thousands remain exposed to extreme weather without basic protection.
The deteriorating humanitarian conditions come amid diplomatic efforts to stabilise the fragile ceasefire in Gaza. Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani held talks in Washington, DC, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, focusing on mediation efforts, humanitarian access and the next phase of a US-backed ceasefire plan.
According to Qatari officials, Sheikh Mohammed stressed the urgent need for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza “unconditionally”. Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher, reporting from Washington, said the Qatari leader clearly referred to concerns raised by aid agencies over Israel blocking relief supplies meant for millions of people in Gaza.
Sheikh Mohammed also discussed the idea of deploying an international stabilisation force in Gaza after the war, emphasising that such a force should act impartially. He further called for swift progress towards the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, with US officials reportedly hoping to announce early next year which countries would contribute troops to such a force.
Meanwhile, violence continued in Gaza despite the ceasefire. Medical sources said at least 11 Palestinians were wounded in Israeli attacks in central Gaza City. The Israeli army said it was investigating after a mortar shell fired near Gaza’s so-called yellow line reportedly missed its target.
Al Jazeera journalists reported Israeli artillery shelling east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, while Israeli gunfire wounded two people in the Tuffah neighbourhood of eastern Gaza City.
In the occupied West Bank, where Israeli military and settler violence has intensified, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli troops shot and wounded a man in his 20s in Qalqilya. He was taken to hospital and is said to be in stable condition.
Since October 2023, at least 70,668 Palestinians have been killed and 171,152 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza, according to Palestinian health authorities. In Israel, 1,139 people were killed during the Hamas-led October 7 attack, with more than 200 taken captive.