Around 40,000 shelters damaged by Gaza flooding - UNRWA

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UNRWA has said that weekend flooding in Gaza caused damage to around 40,000 family shelters.

UNRWA has said that weekend flooding in Gaza caused damage to around 40,000 family shelters.

Director of UNRWA Affairs Sean Jones said he believes around 200,000 people have been affected by the current flooding.

On Sunday, torrential rain in Gaza caused a sand embankment to collapse onto tents, killing a woman and three children.

The vast majority of Gaza's two million population lives in tent encampments or the ruins of bombed-out buildings, with reconstruction yet to begin following Israel's two-year military assault.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Jones said Israeli restrictions on bringing machinery into Gaza have led to drainage systems being blocked during heavy flooding.

He said around half of Gazans live in areas that are prone to flooding, and that drainage systems are "completely overwhelmed".

Mr Jones was speaking on the programme from Jordan, as he is not currently allowed into Gaza.

He said the international community "has not yet been allowed to begin recovery and reconstruction".

He said UNRWA is still in a "humanitarian phase" and not thinking "as much long term".

مطلع المقال، مقتطف من RTÉ. لقراءة المقال كاملًا، افتحه على موقع الناشر.