UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- UN humanitarians and partners worked hard to respond to devastating rains over the weekend in Gaza, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Monday.
The heavy rains, which began on Friday evening, exposed the fragility of shelters, triggered widespread flooding, damaged humanitarian facilities and learning spaces, and disrupted essential services, said OCHA.
An infant reportedly drowned in the flooding. Three children and two women were killed when a sandy hill collapsed onto their tents. Thousands of families have lost their shelters and belongings, said the office, citing reports from partners.
"Humanitarian partners mobilized immediately to assess people's needs, distribute emergency supplies and otherwise support those affected," OCHA said. "Nevertheless, humanitarian stocks of tents, tarpaulins, blankets and clothes inside Gaza are virtually exhausted."
The world body and its partners pumped out water, improved drainage, reinforced displacement sites with sandbags, repaired shelters where possible, and delivered emergency supplies to affected families, said the office. "But our teams are working with far too little equipment and too few shelter materials for the scale of the need."
OCHA said that humanitarian funding and Israeli approvals are urgently needed so that enough supplies and machinery can be brought into Gaza, including vacuum trucks, mobile dewatering pumps, engine oil, hoses and heavy machinery.
More than 150,000 tents purchased by humanitarian partners and UN member states "were outside Gaza ready for dispatch," it noted.
The UN humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, Ramiz Alakbarov, said Monday in Ramallah that while rain is natural, people's vulnerability is man-made.
He said hostilities have devastated homes and essential infrastructure, and tight Israeli restrictions have limited preparations and access to areas away from the flood-prone shoreline. Most people are living in worn-out tents that cannot withstand what would be considered a moderate storm elsewhere.
He called for the urgent lifting of all unnecessary restrictions and delays, including those preventing humanitarian organizations from bringing enough supplies into Gaza.
OCHA said that humanitarian partners in Gaza reported that airstrikes continued to hit populated areas and caused more casualties.
"This is undermining humanitarian teams' security," the office said. "On Saturday, UN personnel visiting a displacement site west of the so-called 'Yellow Line' in Gaza City had to take cover when bursts of gunfire hit nearby."
OCHA called again for the protection of civilians in line with international humanitarian law. ■
