UN reacts after heavy rains flood displaced families in Gaza

Heavy rains have swept across the Gaza Strip, turning already fragile displacement sites into waterlogged expanses of misery. Thousands of families — uprooted and living in makeshift shelters — saw what little they had left drenched or destroyed.

Against this backdrop, humanitarians are scrambling to provide emergency shelter support and have deployed rapid-response teams, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Friday.

OCHA described how the downpour struck with cruel force, soaking belongings, collapsing temporary structures and leaving families exposed to the biting cold. Health and protection risks have surged, especially for older people, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups struggling to endure conditions that grow harsher by the day.

Humanitarian partners warned that meaningful flood prevention is nearly impossible: equipment needed to drain water from tented settlements or clear solid waste and rubble simply does not exist in Gaza. Meanwhile, millions of essential shelter items — from tents and tarpaulins to bedding and kitchen sets — remain stuck in Jordan, Egypt and Israel, awaiting permissions that have yet to come through.

OCHA said that since the 10 October ceasefire, Israeli authorities have denied 23 requests from nine aid partners seeking to bring nearly 4,000 pallets of critical supplies into Gaza — supplies that include tents, sealing kits, blankets and other necessities.

Aid groups say one of the biggest barriers is restrictive registration rules for NGOs operating in Gaza. In all but two of the 23 rejections, organisations were told they were “not authorised” to deliver humanitarian assistance.

Still, aid trickles in where possible. On Thursday, about 1,000 tents were distributed in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis. Between Sunday and Wednesday, partners supplied 7,000 blankets to over 1,800 households, distributed 15,000 tarpaulins to more than 3,700 families, and provided winter clothing for over 500 households.

But the worsening living conditions are increasing yet another danger: exposure to explosive remnants. Children are among those most at risk.

“Some people have been injured while collecting firewood; others are pitching tents near suspected contaminated areas simply because they have no safer options,” OCHA warned.

Since the ceasefire, mine-action partners have recorded more than 10 injuries from explosive hazards. In Gaza — a narrow strip of land with little room to avoid danger — the threat grows as families are forced into shrinking safe spaces.

Even so, partners continue their work. They have answered more than 70 requests for explosive-hazard assessments, supported 32 inter-agency missions and delivered risk-education sessions to over 49,000 people across the Gaza Strip.

The UN Mine Action Service says it could do far more — if only lifesaving tools like detectors, spare parts and disposal equipment were allowed to enter Gaza.

With IANS inputs