UN Officials Warn Winter Threatens Fragile Humanitarian Gains in Gaza
Despite improved access to healthcare since the ceasefire, UN officials warn aid restrictions and harsh weather risk worsening conditions for civilians.
United Nations
Sphinx News: Ahmed Ali
As OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) reports already dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza, UN officials warn a brutal winter could make it worse.
From his recent four-day visit to Gaza, Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, met with partners, visited humanitarian project sites, and spoke with Palestinian civilians on the ground.
In his observations, Alakbarov noted that humanitarian conditions in the war-torn enclave have improved since the signing of the October 10th ceasefire, but it is not nearly enough. Alakbarov echoed the sentiment of OCHA, where the office reported today in its analysis of its healthcare facilities: “Partners leading the health response report that they continue to restore services across the Strip, with 234 health service points now operational, compared to 197 before the ceasefire. While this is a significant improvement, efforts to expand access to healthcare continue to face challenges due to the lack of critical equipment and the vast destruction of infrastructure during two years of war.”
Alakbarov additionally highlighted in his travels the dangers a looming winter poses, contending that the inevitable cold winter may exacerbate “already appalling humanitarian conditions.”
Meanwhile, on the ground, Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, reports further impediments on the distribution of humanitarian aid, central to the stagnation observed by Alakbarov. Dujarric notes, “Salah ad Deen Road remains closed for the movement of humanitarian cargo from Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing, and the Al Rasheed Road and the Philadelphi corridor remain the only available routes.”
The availability of only Al Rasheed and the Philadelphi corridor along the Kerem Shalom crossing creates what Dujarric describes as “congestion and exposes any convoy to looting and security risks.”
Nonetheless, the United Nations continues to make progress on the ground, particularly with the rebuilding of Gaza’s educational institutions. Dujarric reported that “over the weekend, 160 high-performance tents arrived in Gaza for learning activities,” marking the “highest number of such tents received by our education partners to date.”
As Gaza remains torn from over two years of “war” and almost two months of what the UN has largely described as a “fragile ceasefire,” Gaza’s Health Ministry confirms the death of more than 70,000 Palestinians.
