UNRWA: THOUSANDS OF DISPLACED GAZANS STRUGGLING TO FIND SAFE SHELTER

NEW YORK, Nov 27 (Bernama-WAFA) -- The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said on Wednesday that thousands of internally displaced people in the Gaza Strip are struggling to find safe shelter in preparation for the approaching cold weather, amid the ongoing aftermath of Israel's two-year war on the territory.

The Palestine News and Info Agency (WAFA) reported that the agency said that "thousands of internally displaced people in the Gaza Strip are struggling to find safe shelter in preparation for the coming cold weather."

In a post on X, the agency said "the displaced have no option but to erect makeshift tents," noting that "more shelter materials are still needed."

UNRWA pointed out that more than 79,000 displaced people are living in 85 UNRWA-run shelters in the Gaza Strip, amid increasingly dire humanitarian conditions as winter approaches.

The spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, warned on Tuesday that displaced Palestinian families in Gaza are facing the risk of flooding in their inadequate shelters.

He stressed that the population is "extremely vulnerable" due to the severe weather conditions, and that ongoing Israeli restrictions are hindering the entry of vital aid and obstructing the work of relief organisations.

On Tuesday, a storm accompanied by heavy rains flooded dozens of tents belonging to displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area of ​​Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, amid warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe.

It is worth noting that the Gaza Strip needs approximately 300,000 tents and prefabricated housing units to meet the most basic shelter needs of its residents, after Israel destroyed much of the infrastructure during two years of its offensive.

-- BERNAMA-WAFA