UN: 950,000 displaced people in Gaza face flood risks this winter

Around 950,000 displaced people in the Gaza Strip are living in areas at medium to high risk of flooding, including more than 400,000 facing a high risk, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said “Available supplies could partially assist only 18 per cent of the 294,250 families requiring shelter assistance for the rainy season.”        

On 17 August, the Gaza government media office said 2.15 million displaced Palestinians, representing 509,393 families, are living in “dire” humanitarian conditions. More than 800,000 of them are staying in tents unfit for “human habitation”, it added.

READ: Winter rains deepen Gaza’s humanitarian crisis as displaced families face severe shelter shortages

In September, the office warned that conditions for hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Gaza are deteriorating as winter approached, saying more than 60 per cent of their tents are worn out and need immediate replacement.

Palestinian and UN human rights officials have previously warned that winter storms and rainwater flooding have destroyed or damaged thousands of tents and temporary shelters, forcing displaced people to endure cold, damp and unsafe living conditions.

READ: UNRWA head warns of looming Gaza winter crisis, urges Europe to pressure Israel