Palestinian officials warn winter threatens Gaza's displaced families

Palestinian and UN officials warned on Monday that winter is threatening hundreds of thousands of displaced families in Gaza, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

Samah Hamad, minister of social development and acting minister of state for relief affairs, and Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, spoke at a joint press conference in Ramallah.

Hamad said about 2.1 million people in the Gaza Strip need protection and assistance in winter, including more than 1.76 million living in overcrowded displacement sites.

She said more than 65 percent of families live in tents and makeshift shelters, and more than 300,000 families lack adequate protection from cold and rain.

The minister said more than 1,600 displacement sites face risks from rainwater buildup and flooding, and about 80 percent of the water infrastructure needs repairs.

Hamad said winter needs include about 200,000 tents, 200,000 tarpaulins, blankets, winter clothing, mattresses and heating equipment.

She said at least 19 people, including children, died of hypothermia over the previous two winters, and about 12,000 distress calls came in after the latest low-pressure system damaged or flooded shelters.

Hamad said UN assessments by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the UN Satellite Centre had warned that more than 65,000 shelters and tents were exposed to flood risks.

She also warned that about 4,000 buildings across Gaza are at risk of collapse, and thousands of families still live in some of them because they have no safe alternatives.

Hamad said about 30 percent of relief and shelter items allocated for the response remain stranded at border crossings, and the winter supplies available now amount to only 10 percent of previous years' levels.

Alakbarov cited reports that five people were killed when a sand cliff collapsed onto their tents, and said an infant drowned at a displacement site while about 26,000 families were affected by heavy rain.

He said the vulnerability of Palestinians in Gaza is the result of military operations that destroyed homes, infrastructure, water networks and drainage systems, not of weather conditions.

Hamad urged the opening of border crossings, the entry of supplies already available, the lifting of restrictions on shelter materials and the allocation of safe land for properly equipped shelters.

Aid access into Gaza has been a long-running concern for UN agencies and Palestinian officials, and the latest warnings come as the territory faces the cold season with many families still without adequate shelter.