GENEVA: The cold and stormy winter weather in Gaza is making the besieged enclave ‘completely uninhabitable’ after nearly four months of Israeli war, a UN human rights official warned today.
‘I fear that many more civilians will die,’ said Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN human rights department responsible for overseeing Gaza and the West Bank.
Sunghay added that his office is also concerned about the impact of rainy and cold weather in Gaza.
‘It was entirely predictable at this time of the year, and risks making an already unsanitary situation completely uninhabitable for the people,’ he pointed out.
‘Most have no warm clothes or blankets. Northern Gaza, where IDF bombardment continues, is barely accessible, even to provide basic humanitarian aid.’
According to statistics released by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, an alarming 290,000 residential units in Gaza have suffered damage due to the Israeli military’s ground, air, and naval bombardment over the past hundred days.
Approximately 65,0
00 homes have been destroyed, rendering them uninhabitable, while an additional 25,010 structures have been leveled to the ground. The onslaught has also resulted in the destruction of 145 mosques, three churches, and the incapacitation of 30 hospitals, with 26 others sustaining damage. Moreover, 121 ambulances have been destroyed or forced out of service.
Estimates indicate that around 1.93 million citizens, constituting 85% of Gaza’s population, are now internally displaced, many having experienced multiple displacements in search of safety.
Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA