Middle Eastern, Asian nations urge Israel to lift Gaza aid restrictions amid harsh winter

Gaza [Palestine], January 3 : Middle Eastern and Asian nations have urged Israel to permit "immediate, full, and unhindered" humanitarian aid to reach the Gaza Strip, which is facing harsh winter storms lashing the Palestinian enclave, Al Jazeera reported.
In a statement on Friday, the foreign ministers of Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan warned that worsening conditions in Gaza have left nearly 1.9 million displaced Palestinians extremely vulnerable.
"Flooded camps, damaged tents, the collapse of damaged buildings, and exposure to cold temperatures coupled with malnutrition, have significantly heightened risks to civilian lives," the statement read.
They urged the international community to "press Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately remove restrictions on the entry and distribution of essential items, including tents, shelter materials, medical aid, clean water, fuel, and sanitation supplies," Al Jazeera reported.
Despite its obligations under international law to meet the basic needs of Palestinians in Gaza, Israel has continued to impose strict limits on humanitarian assistance, Al Jazeera reported.
Under a ceasefire mediated by the United States that began in October between Israel and Hamas, Israeli authorities were required to allow hundreds of aid trucks into Gaza each day.
However, Israel has not complied with this condition, continuing to block aid deliveries even as winter conditions worsen and access to adequate shelter, blankets, and other necessities remains insufficient in the territory.
Several Palestinian families have been forced to take shelter in temporary structures and overcrowded tent camps across Gaza after their homes were destroyed in Israel's ongoing military campaign, Al Jazeera reported.
In recent weeks, several people have died when weakened buildings collapsed due to heavy rain and flooding. Children in the enclave have also succumbed to hypothermia as freezing temperatures persist.
Separately, Israeli forces killed one Palestinian and injured several others on Friday in an area west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, Nasser Hospital said, quoted by Al Jazeera.