UN calls for urgent entry of winter supplies into Gaza

NEW YORK: UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has warned of the grave consequences of continued delays in delivering essential winter supplies to Gaza, according to the UAE news agency WAM.

Fletcher said delays, blockages and funding cuts were putting lives at risk, stressing the urgent need for supplies to help Palestinians withstand winter conditions.

He warned that rain and severe weather posed serious risks to people without adequate shelter, which could have been mitigated by providing suitable tents and essential winter supplies and allowing Palestinians access to open areas less prone to flooding.

The UN's response plan includes durable shelter, warm clothes, blankets, bedding, safe heating solutions, generators, fuel, engine oil, spare parts and equipment to pump out water, remove debris and clear explosive ordnance.

Fletcher called for all crossings into Gaza to be opened, humanitarian NGO partners to be allowed to operate, commercial markets to function, an end to what he described as collective punishment, and adequate funding for the humanitarian response plan.