2 days ago
Heatwave in Gaza worsens living conditions for displaced residents
A heatwave that has engulfed the Gaza Strip has made living conditions for displaced people staying in makeshift shelters even harder.
Thousands of Gazans have been forced to live in tents without electricity or water after losing their homes in Israeli attacks. The United Nations says about 90 percent of the residential buildings in Gaza have been damaged.
The UN says Gaza is currently experiencing temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. A UN agency warned on Thursday that cases of dehydration are rising throughout the region due to shortages of drinking water.
A reporter from NHK's local office says displaced residents in the town of Al-Zawaida are spraying water on children's bodies to prevent heatstroke while others are using batteries to run secondhand electric fans.
A woman said they had no choice but to get used to such living conditions.
Cases of starvation are also rising despite recent measures by the Israeli military to increase aid supply deliveries into Gaza. Local health authorities reported 251 malnutrition-related deaths as of Saturday.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says humanitarian conditions remain largely unchanged in Gaza. It called on the Israeli side to allow more aid to reach people.
