UN says Israeli policies worsened deadly impact of Gaza winter storm

The devastating impact of the latest rainstorm in Gaza was preventable. Children and adults were killed, critical services suspended, and thousands of family shelters flooded, swept away, or torn apart. Not by the storm alone, but by policy decisions. The country team said that as the occupying power, Israel is obliged to ensure the basic needs of the local population, including the supplies essential for their survival. Yet Israeli policies continue to obstruct the entry of critical items, as well as access to most of Gaza's land. Including areas away from the shoreline that are less prone to flooding. Incoming supplies face multiple approval requirements, limiting crossing capacity and unpredictable or narrow delivery windows that delay their entry. Although funding is small and far short of what is needed, more than 150,000 tents procured by humanitarian partners and member states are outside Gaza, ready for dispatch. Most are in El Arish, just 50 kilometers away from Khan Yunus. The humanitarian country team calls on the Israeli authorities to immediately ensure that Palestinians in Gaza have access to life-saving supplies and that their entry is expedited in sufficient quantities through every available crossing. And it calls on member states to use their influence to ensure these steps are taken swiftly and to provide the necessary humanitarian funding without delay. Lives are at stake.