Winter has arrived in Gaza ❄️ and its first storms are already wreaking havoc on flimsy tents and tarps. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned earlier this week that heavy rains and high winds are putting newborns and displaced families at serious risk.
To tackle the storm, OCHA and its partners are stepping up:
- Scaling daily winter clothing kits from 5,000 to 8,000 for children 🧥
- Relocating about 200 shoreline families to a safer site in eastern Khan Younis 🏘️
- Reinforcing flood-prone areas with sandbags and cleared drains 🚧
- Distributing tents, tarpaulins, bed sheets, and heaters 🔥
Learning shouldn’t stop. Around 65 classrooms once used as shelters have been cleaned to let kids resume classes. Yet, blocked education supplies mean children are still waiting for books and materials.
Child protection is at stake too. Save the Children warns that aid restrictions are cutting off psychosocial support, and four of its eight child-friendly spaces closed after last month's storms flooded or damaged camps due to sewage leaks from broken sanitation systems after two years of bombardment. Many kids are stuck in soggy tents or helping repair shelters instead of playing or studying.
Food aid is rolling out too. This month, 260,000 people received two food parcels and a 25-kg bag of flour through 60 distribution points, including a new site in Beit Lahiya 🍞.
Animal care got a boost last Friday, when 3,500 veterinary kits for the first time since August entered Gaza. These kits and fodder are now helping over 100 herders and donkey owners 🐐.
Despite ongoing security incidents that pose risks to civilians and aid teams, the UN and partners remain committed. As temperatures drop, every coat, blanket, and meal counts to keep Gaza’s most vulnerable safe and warm. Stay tuned for more updates! 🌨️✨
Reference(s):
Fierce winter weather puts more vulnerable Gazans at risk, UN warns
cgtn.com
