EU Urges Greater Access for Aid to Gaza

Geneva (ANTARA) – European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib on Sunday (8 November) called for increased access for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, after heavy rain flooded several displacement camps and worsened conditions for families already facing a severe humanitarian crisis.

“In Gaza, families are draining water from their tents using pots and pans,” Lahbib wrote on social media platform X.

She said flooding had hit camps housing displaced Palestinians. The rainfall had further aggravated an already dire situation.

“The rain is making an already unbearable crisis even worse,” she said.

Lahbib noted that humanitarian organisations were continuing their operations despite the storm. However, she stressed that more aid was urgently needed.

“They need more aid to get in, right now,” she said.

According to the Gaza Government Media Office, the storm, which began on Friday night (6 November), flooded around 70,000 tents sheltering displaced Palestinians. Damaged infrastructure and a shortage of emergency equipment have also hampered relief operations.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said on Thursday (5 November) that about 1.98 million people in the Gaza Strip needed shelter and other essential supplies. The statement highlighted the scale of humanitarian needs ahead of winter in the Palestinian enclave.