Gaza / PNN /
International organizations have warned that Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip face growing risks of death and disease as winter approaches, amid severe shortages of food, medicine and adequate shelter, and continued Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned that more children could die during the winter months because of freezing temperatures and the spread of disease, as Israel continues to restrict the entry of humanitarian assistance, construction materials and emergency shelter supplies.
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said children in Gaza were facing their fourth consecutive winter under devastating humanitarian conditions, adding that the organization was repeating the same warnings it had issued in previous winters despite the urgent needs being well known.
Essential supplies, including humanitarian relief materials and construction equipment, remain barred from entering Gaza by Israeli authorities, Elder said, despite the pressing need for them.
He noted that the effects of winter were already being felt even before the official start of the season, with flooding and freezing conditions increasing the risks to the lives of children and displaced families.
Meanwhile, the United Nations said more than 150,000 tents intended for displaced Palestinians remain outside Gaza, awaiting Israeli approval to enter the territory.
The shortage comes as heavy rainfall has flooded tens of thousands of displacement tents since November 6, further worsening conditions for families already living in inadequate and overcrowded shelters.
Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, told a news conference on Wednesday that the tents, purchased by UN member states and humanitarian partners, were ready for delivery but remained stranded pending the necessary Israeli authorizations.
Haq stressed the urgent need for additional humanitarian funding and called for Israel to accelerate approvals for the entry of sufficient quantities of essential supplies and equipment to address the deteriorating humanitarian situation.
In a related development, the Israeli human rights organization Physicians for Human Rights Israel said the deadly attack carried out by Israeli forces at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, demonstrated the continuation of what it described as genocide against Palestinians under the cover of a ceasefire.
In a statement issued Thursday, the organization said repeated attacks on hospitals and medical personnel were further destroying Gaza’s already devastated health system, depriving Palestinians of essential medical care and undermining their chances of recovery and of living with dignity.
The organization blamed international inaction and continued impunity for creating conditions that allow attacks on Gaza’s healthcare system to persist. It warned that these attacks pose grave consequences for civilian lives and further undermine the ability of medical institutions to provide essential services.
As winter approaches, humanitarian agencies warn that continued restrictions on shelter, medical supplies and other basic necessities are exposing Gaza’s displaced population, particularly children, to increasingly life-threatening conditions.
