Heavy rains and floods have hit the Gaza Strip, further damaging already collapsed buildings and tents housing internally displaced Palestinians, with around 55.000 families affected, United Nations (UN) agencies and other international humanitarian groups have warned.
In parts of the Belt, in addition to flooding, strong winds are blowing, and the UN humanitarian agency (OCHA) announced that 12 people have died in the storms due to hypothermia and collapsed infrastructure, the Financial Times (FT) reports.
The agency warned that "floods caused by the rain have left thousands of people exposed to harsh winter conditions and at risk of further displacement," and that more than 4.000 people are no longer sheltered.
The UN estimated earlier this year that more than 90 percent of residential buildings in Gaza were damaged or destroyed in the war with Israel.
Aid group officials said the floods had destroyed food, clothing, mattresses and other belongings that displaced Palestinians were carrying, and that many families had "lost everything they had".
The Israeli military branch that oversees the flow of aid to the Gaza Strip, KOGAT, announced that around 310.000 tents and thousands of truckloads of blankets, clothing and medical equipment have arrived in the affected areas since the ceasefire, which came into effect on October 10, while humanitarian groups claim that this amount is much less than Jerusalem claims.
Amnesty International said on Wednesday that "the devastation caused by torrential rains has been fueled by Israel's continued restrictions on the entry of supplies to repair vital infrastructure."
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