Politics1 min read

UN, partners urge Israel to lift restrictions on aid into Gaza

By · Via Middle East Eye · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Severe weather has devastated displaced communities across Gaza, destroying makeshift shelters and flooding thousands of family tents. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, over 150,000 tents ready for dispatch are currently stuck outside the territory because of supply and access constraints. Aid groups had submitted a winter preparedness plan months earlier, but delivery delays and funding shortfalls obstructed its execution. Consequently, humanitarian leaders are calling for urgent repairs to critical water and wastewater infrastructure.

Key points

  • Humanitarian officials emphasize that lifting border barriers is essential to repair crit…: Humanitarian officials emphasize that lifting border barriers is essential to repair critical water and wastewater infrastructure.
  • Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher warned that persistent delivery delays, funding…: Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher warned that persistent delivery delays, funding cuts, and supply restrictions directly endanger lives.
  • United Nations member states are being urged to use their diplomatic influence to remove…: United Nations member states are being urged to use their diplomatic influence to remove aid delivery obstacles and provide critical funds.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

The UN and its humanitarian partners have called on Israel to lift restrictions on aid deliveries to Gaza, warning that deadly rainstorms have killed children and adults, destroyed shelters and flooded thousands of family tents.

More than 150,000 tents remain outside Gaza, ready for dispatch, as restrictions on supplies and access continue to hamper winter preparations, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

In a statement, the Humanitarian Country Team, comprising UN agencies and humanitarian organisations operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said the devastation caused by the rainstorms was preventable.

Humanitarian partners had presented a winter preparedness plan months ago, but restrictions on supplies and access, alongside funding shortfalls, had hampered its implementation.

The Team urged Israel to lift restrictions, enable repairs to water and wastewater networks, and allow all humanitarian partners to operate.

The appeal follows a statement earlier this week by Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher, who warned that delays, restrictions and funding cuts were putting lives at risk.

The Humanitarian Country Team also urged member states to use their influence to…

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