Gaza faces severe aid shortages as winter approaches
NEW YORK, Nov. 05 (YPA) – Humanitarian aid organizations said that aid reaching Gaza is extremely limited as hunger persists, winter approaches, and old tents begin to deteriorate, nearly four weeks after the ceasefire that ended the devastating two-year Israeli war.
The World Food Programme (WFP) said in a statement last night that only half of the required food supplies are reaching the Gaza Strip, while a group of Palestinian organizations said that the total amount of aid is between a quarter and a third of what was expected.
The United Nations, which previously published daily figures on aid trucks crossing into Gaza, no longer routinely provides these figures.
The ceasefire and the increased flow of aid since mid-October have led to some improvement, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 10% of children screened in Gaza are still suffering from acute malnutrition, down from 14% in September, with more than 1,000 children suffering from the most severe form of malnutrition.
OCHA added that half of Gaza’s households reported increased access to food, particularly in the south, as more aid and commercial supplies entered the country following the ceasefire. Households are now receiving an average of two meals a day, compared to just one in July.
The office noted that a stark disparity persists between the south and the north, where conditions remain far worse.
With winter approaching, Gaza’s residents desperately need shelter. Tents have deteriorated, and the few structures that survived the war are often exposed, unstable, or dangerous.
“We are entering winter very soon, which means rainwater and flooding are expected, and there is a high risk of disease outbreaks due to the hundreds of tons of waste near residential areas,” said Amjad al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGO Network, which liaises with the UN.
He added that only 25 to 30 percent of the expected aid to Gaza has entered so far.
It is estimated that 1.5 million people in Gaza need shelter.
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