UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Amid continuing Israeli attacks, 94 percent of the Gaza Strip's 2.1 million people need shelter and basic household assistance, UN humanitarians said Thursday.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that more than four out of five families face critical or catastrophic living conditions in their current shelters, which lack fuel, energy and essential household items, affecting people's ability to sleep, cook, wash, store food and water, have adequate lighting, and cope with heat and cold.
Nearly two in three families live in tents or makeshift shelters that rapidly deteriorate in harsh weather because they are designed for short-term use only, the office said.
"Last winter, more than 70 percent of families experienced flooding," OCHA said. "Ahead of the cold and rainy season, humanitarian partners are working to ensure adequate shelter for families. However, restrictions on the entry of materials and equipment, combined with funding shortfalls, have kept assistance far below the level of need."
Shelter partners estimated that 562 million U.S. dollars is needed for the emergency response. Of this amount, they have requested 165 million dollars to address the most acute cases, but just over a quarter of the funding has been secured.
The UN Development Programme said Monday that, along with its partners, it has expanded pest control activities since May to more than 3,000 displacement sites, markets and hospitals across Gaza. Sustained access to rodenticides remains critical. It is also urgent that heavy machinery, lubricants and essential equipment be allowed into Gaza to facilitate trash removal.
OCHA said it continues to receive reports of civilians in Gaza being killed, injured or otherwise affected by airstrikes, shelling and gunfire. On Wednesday, a 13-year-old girl was reportedly among those killed in airstrikes.
The bodies of 50 people, including those of 19 children, killed over two years ago, were laid to rest on Thursday after being recovered from under the rubble in Gaza City, said the office.
"Efforts to remove rubble and retrieve bodies in Gaza remain limited by restrictions on entry of heavy machinery, spare parts, lubricants and other critical supplies, as well as by restrictions on access to vast areas within the Strip," OCHA said.
The United Nations continues to call for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure. Civilians should never be targeted or used for military purposes, it said. ■
