Heavy rain damaged Gaza shelters as relief stocks ran low, and Ireland pressed Israel to ease aid access for displaced households relying on emergency supplies.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said partners had received appeals from more than 26,000 households reporting damage to shelters or belongings by Nov. 8. By then, partners had assessed the needs of 1,877 households and assisted 422. OCHA cautioned that the impact could be greater than the appeals recorded; the count does not show that every report had been checked.
Supplies of tents, shelter coverings, blankets and clothing inside Gaza were nearly depleted, OCHA said. More than 150,000 tents procured by aid partners and member states were still outside Gaza, awaiting entry. The agency said Israeli restrictions on bringing supplies and equipment into Gaza, alongside funding shortfalls, constrained rainy-season preparedness and left fewer stocks available when the rain began. Partners also needed further Israeli approvals and funding to bring in supplies and machinery.
Anadolu Agency reported that Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee condemned Israel's aid restrictions in a post on X, saying, “Israel must stop its intentional blockages of aid, food and life-saving supplies.” Anadolu reported that McEntee said she would continue raising the situation with EU colleagues ahead of this week's European Political Community meeting in Dublin and at the Foreign Affairs Council early next week.
The European Commission has also urged Israel to allow aid into Gaza. At a briefing, spokesperson Eva Hrncirova said some crossings remained closed to aid deliveries and flooding in tents could worsen conditions, exposing families to more disease and pests. The comments follow EconoTimes' earlier coverage of the EU's call for Gaza aid access.
