Gaza faces dire crisis amid hostilities, harsh winter conditions, warns UNRWA official

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has deepened as heavy winter rains, compounded by ongoing hostilities, have turned the besieged enclave into what Louise Wateridge, Senior Emergency Officer for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), described as a “graveyard.”

Speaking from Nuseirat in central Gaza, Wateridge noted the extreme challenges facing over two million residents, trapped in dire conditions without adequate shelter.

“It’s impossible for families to shelter in these conditions,” she stressed, noting that 69% of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed, leaving most families exposed to the harsh elements under makeshift fabric shelters.

The relentless winter rains have worsened the plight of displaced Gazans, who have already been uprooted multiple times by Israeli bombardments.

With limited resources, aid workers have been forced to prioritize food over shelter. “Women have been crushed to death waiting for a piece of bread,” Wateridge revealed, emphasizing the desperation of the situation.

Obstacles imposed by Israeli authorities have further hampered relief efforts. On Thursday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that requests to deliver food and water to besieged areas in northern Gaza were denied, leaving residents of Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya, and parts of Jabalya without essential aid.

Wateridge made a case for the urgent need for shelter supplies and humanitarian access to avert further tragedy. “Every path here that you could possibly take is leading to death,” she warned, urging immediate international intervention to address the worsening humanitarian catastrophe.