In response to the severe flooding in Gaza, Wassem Mushtaha, Oxfam’s Response Lead in Gaza said:
“Last night six people - a mother with her two children and three other children from the same family - were killed when a sand embankment collapsed onto their tent. They had been sheltering among forcibly displaced families in the central Gaza Strip. The number of fatalities is expected to rise.
“The conditions in Gaza are abhorrent. Severe flooding has displaced around 100,000 people. Israel is restricting access to shelter materials and has rendered 65 per cent of Gaza off-limits. People have no safe place to go.
“Oxfam teams are carrying out emergency maintenance of rainwater drainage networks, providing sandbags and essential repair tools for water and sanitation facilities. And with partners, supporting emergency floodwater removal at displacement sites, clearing major sewage blockages and cleaning and maintaining water pumping stations.
“But urgent access is needed for spare parts, engine oil, pipes and heavy machinery, in addition to shelter materials, to avoid more people being killed this winter.
“Israel’s ongoing genocide has resulted in the near collapse of all functioning systems in Gaza. Governments must insist that Israel allows for unimpeded access to recovery and repair materials to restore essential infrastructure and ensure Palestinian-led reconstruction efforts across Gaza.”
/ENDS