Displaced Persons Association: Flooding of Thousands of Tents in Gaza Portends Humanitarian Catastrophe, Urges Immediate Entry of Caravans and Reconstruction Materials

The Displaced Persons Association in the Gaza Strip has warned of a worsening catastrophic humanitarian situation facing thousands of displaced people after heavy rains flooded and damaged thousands of tents and destroyed mattresses, blankets, clothing and basic supplies, amid mounting suffering that has hit children, women and the elderly.

In a press statement sent to the media, the association called on the international community, the United Nations, humanitarian institutions and the International Committee of the Red Cross to intervene urgently and shoulder their responsibilities to rescue the displaced, and to press for residential caravans and construction and reconstruction materials to be allowed in as quickly as possible, bypassing the obstacles and bureaucratic procedures that always delay delivery to beneficiaries, as an urgent humanitarian necessity to end the suffering of thousands of families and in line with the most important rules of humanitarian intervention, namely immediate response.

The association also urged international and UN relief associations and institutions to step up their emergency aid and provide tents, canopies, blankets, mattresses, winter clothing and heating equipment, and to reach the most affected families immediately.

The association further stressed that the continued stay of displaced people in dilapidated tents that protect them neither from rain, winter cold nor summer heat poses a threat to their lives and human dignity, emphasizing that temporary solutions are no longer sufficient and that priority must go to bringing in caravans and reconstruction materials and creating conditions for the displaced to return to their homes.

The association concluded its statement with an urgent appeal: Do not leave the displaced alone to face the rain and cold, for what is needed today is not merely relief aid but safe shelter within a rapid reconstruction process that restores people's dignity and lives, through early recovery leading toward full recovery and healing.