A girl is playing while her family sets up a new tent at their camp in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.
Unexpected high temperatures across Gaza have exacerbated the daily suffering of people in the region and sparked new concerns about disease outbreaks amid a lack of adequate clean water and waste disposal, UN humanitarian agencies said today.
Some 1.2 million people are currently taking refuge in tents set up in the city of Rafah, the southernmost part of Gaza, where they have nowhere to take refuge when Israel threatens an imminent all-out assault on the city.
In a social media post, UNRWA, a specialized agency for Palestine refugees, quoted an asylum seeker named Radwan as saying: "It's like living in a greenhouse, no one can stand it." ”
Temperatures are currently hovering around 40 degrees Celsius, but it is known that once summer arrives, the situation will get even worse and temperatures will reach "50 degrees Celsius or 60 degrees Celsius". Currently, he lives in a tent with eight family members.
Radwan said clean water is still scarce in Rafah and long queues are a daily "routine." Everything is tied to queuing, everything is the torment of displacement. ”
Denial of access
The UN Assistance Team reported that on Wednesday "humanitarian aid teams were unable to travel to northern Gaza due to the closure of checkpoints on two roads by the Israeli army due to troop movements."
A joint team from UNRWA and UNICEF arrived in the city of Jabaliya in northern Gaza on Tuesday to provide medical and clean water assistance services, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Temporary clinics
UNRWA also reported that it had succeeded in converting a crèche into a functioning sanitation facility in the Mawasi area of the devastated Khan Younis city.
The clinic sees about 2,000 people a day and provides services such as chronic disease care, maternal and child health, dental services and psychological counseling.
"With the onset of summer, the difficulties posed by water scarcity and overcrowding increase, leading to the spread of infectious diseases, skin allergies, lice and other diseases," said Dr. Hanuda, director of the clinic. ”
Inferiority conditions
Asked about Israel's plans to invade Rafah to eliminate Hamas militants at the UN's daily press briefing in New York, spokesman Dujarric said the ground operation would be "a humanitarian catastrophe."
"We will not participate in any action to forcibly displace people," he said. ”
When asked about the rise in temperatures, he said, "It's already bad. The entire solid waste treatment system has largely collapsed, with unimaginable health impacts on people's health. ”
