GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), The Hamas Movement has accused Israel of stalling and evading its obligations under the ceasefire agreement, particularly regarding humanitarian protocols and the entry of essential shelter materials into the Gaza Strip.
In a statement issued Thursday evening, Hamas said that “this deliberate delay is worsening the humanitarian suffering of Gaza residents, especially with the onset of winter and severe weather conditions battering shelters and dilapidated tents.”
The Movement urged mediators and guarantor states to take “urgent and direct action to pressure Israel into allowing the entry of all shelter materials without restriction, as well as reopening the Rafah crossing in accordance with the terms of the agreement, and in a way that ensures the dignity of displaced individuals.”
Hamas also called on Arab and Islamic countries, along with the international community, to “intensify efforts and show solidarity with the Palestinian people, and to pressure Israel to halt its ongoing violations and adhere to humanitarian provisions, so Gaza can begin recovery and reconstruction.”
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Civil Defense announced the collapse of four buildings in Gaza City as a result of the current storm system hitting the area.
Authorities warned Palestinians not to stay in structurally unsafe buildings that may collapse due to the storm’s impact. The collapsed buildings, located in Al-Nasr neighborhood, Al-Shati refugee camp, and Tel al-Hawa, were housing displaced families unable to find alternative shelter. No injuries have been reported so far.
Civil Defense added that they received more than 2,500 emergency calls from displaced individuals whose tents were flooded by heavy rain in the past 24 hours.
Ismail Al-Thawabta, Director of the Government Media Office in Gaza, stated that the humanitarian crisis in displacement camps is worsening. Tens of thousands of tents have been damaged by successive storms and a complete lack of basic supplies.
For the second night in a row, rainwater has flooded the camps during a deep low-pressure system expected to continue through Friday evening, amid cold weather and dropping temperatures.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, backed by the US and European allies, has carried out what many describe as a genocide in Gaza for two years, involving mass killings, starvation, destruction, forced displacement, and mass detentions, in defiance of international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt its campaign.
The war has resulted in over 241,000 Palestinians killed or injured, most of them children and women, along with over 11,000 missing persons, hundreds of thousands displaced, and widespread famine, claiming the lives of many, particularly children. Entire neighborhoods and cities have been wiped off the map in one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes of our time.
