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Torrential rains that fell Friday and early Saturday have worsened the suffering of thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza, flooding fragile tents amid dire humanitarian conditions caused by the Israeli occupation's ongoing aggression since October 7, 2023.UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric expressed concern that thousands of displaced families are now fully exposed to harsh weather, raising serious health and protection risks.The Israeli assault has destroyed approximately 92% of Gaza's residential buildings, forcing most residents into unsafe tents or back into damaged homes at risk of collapse during floods.The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that shelter partners deployed rapid response teams and distributed aid in recent days, including 1,000 tents in Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis, 7,000 blankets to over 1,800 families, 15,000 tarpaulins to 3,700 families, and winter clothing for more than 500 families.OCHA noted that effective flood prevention requires equipment unavailable in Gaza, such as water drainage tools and debris removal systems.The office also warned that deteriorating living conditions heighten the risk of explosive remnants, especially for children.Some injuries occurred while collecting firewood, and families have been forced to pitch tents near suspected hazardous areas due to lack of safe alternatives.Since the ceasefire began on October 11, Israeli forces have committed dozens of violations, resulting in 261 Palestinian deaths and 632 injuries, with 533 bodies recovered from the rubble.According to official statistics, the Israeli aggression has killed at least 69,187 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 170,703 others. Many victims remain trapped under debris, unreachable by rescue teams.

Israeli occupation forces bombed various areas in the northern and southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning.The Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) reported that Israeli artillery shelled the outskirts of Al Shuja'iya neighborhood, east of Gaza City, while an Israeli drone targeted the eastern areas of Jabalia refugee camp in the northern part of the Strip.Meanwhile, Israeli warships opened fire toward the shore of Rafah city in the south of the Strip.Since the implementation of the ceasefire on Oct. 11, Israeli occupation forces have committed dozens of violations, resulting in the martyrdom of 261 Palestinians and the injury of 632 others, while the bodies of 533 martyrs have been retrieved from under the rubble.The Israeli occupation's aggression on the Gaza Strip, which began on Oct. 7, 2023, has resulted in the martyrdom of at least 69,187 Palestinians, most of whom are children and women, and the injury of 170,703 others.A number of victims remain under the rubble, and ambulance and rescue teams are unable to reach them.

Qatar Charity (QC), through the support of donors in the country, has distributed 45,000 school bags to children in Gaza as part of its campaign 'Labbeh Gaza: Commitment and Solidarity'.The project, titled “Back to Class,” also focuses on rehabilitating damaged classrooms to create a safe learning environment and offering incentives to teachers to improve their living conditions.Some 25% of the targeted classrooms have been completed out of a total of 60 scheduled for rehabilitation, and the next phase will see the distribution of teacher incentives. Ultimately, thousands of students and educators are expected to benefit from this project.According to international estimates, more than 650,000 children in Gaza remain deprived of their basic right to education. Reports from Unicef and UNRWA reveal that 95% of schools in Gaza have been destroyed or severely damaged, leaving nearly 500 out of 564 schools unusable.QC continues its humanitarian interventions in Gaza. Recently, it delivered shelter tents and essential supplies through the Qatari humanitarian bridge via Rafah crossing.Under the same campaign, it has distributed 26,000 food baskets benefiting 130,000 displaced people and is steadily supplying 2.4mn litres of safe drinking water across various areas of Gaza.QC continues to urge donors to support its ongoing 'Labbeh Gaza' campaign. Contributions can be made via the organisation’s website and mobile app, through its home collection service, by dialing 44290000, or by visiting its branches and representatives in commercial centres.

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said that Palestinians in Gaza continue to face tremendous hardship, including dire living conditions and insufficient aid one month after the fragile ceasefire went into effect, pointing out that Palestinians are still being killed and injured by Israeli forces almost every day in the areas close to the yellow line, behind which Israel maintains control.In a statement, MSF emergency coordinator in Gaza Caroline Seguin said, " Palestinians often risk their lives by going back to look for their houses, as this line is still not always clearly marked. To make matters worse, some main hospitals are in areas controlled by Israeli forces, which means safe access to health care is reduced.""The Israeli authorities continue to impose significant restrictions on the entry of aid into Gaza. MSF and other organizations are struggling to bring vital aid into Gaza, especially medical equipment, shelters, hygiene items, and spare parts for vital infrastructure," she added.Seguin also noted that thousands of displaced people are living in tents lacking water and electricity, surrounded by accumulated waste and outbreaks of skin, respiratory, and gastrointestinal diseases, as winter approaches.The organization called for the immediate and unhindered entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The Israeli occupation army carried out a demolition operation early Wednesday east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, targeting areas adjacent to the separation fence.Local sources reported that loud explosions rocked the area following the operation, amid heavy overflights by warplanes and reconnaissance aircraft in the southern Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian news agency (WAFA).Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes launched three airstrikes this morning on areas northeast of Beit Lahia, within the Green Line in the northern Gaza Strip, and near the education area in northern Gaza, amid heavy overflights in the area.At the same time, Israeli naval vessels opened heavy fire off the coast of the southern Gaza Strip, in yet another violation of the ceasefire agreement.

The United Nations affirmed its commitment, together with its humanitarian partners, to seizing every possible opportunity to save lives in the Gaza Strip, stressing that relief efforts continue despite numerous obstacles one month after the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.In a statement marking one month since the ceasefire took effect, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, said that ongoing humanitarian operations include providing food assistance to more than one million people, reopening nutrition centers and resuming vital vaccination campaigns, as well as repairing water lines, restoring hospitals to operation, distributing winter clothing and blankets, and providing psychosocial support services."But many obstacles remain. We're working to overcome red tape, enable essential humanitarian partners, open more crossings and routes, and navigate continued insecurity" Fletcher said.He stressed that the UN could achieve far more to save lives if these restrictions were eased. Despite the fragile situation and persistent obstacles on the ground, UN agencies and their partners continue to reach areas of the Gaza Strip that were previously inaccessible before the ceasefire.

The World Bank backs language in a US-drafted United Nations Security Council resolution on Gaza that would authorise a two-year mandate for a transitional governance body.The 15-member UN Security Council began negotiations on Thursday on the text that would mandate a so-called Board of Peace transitional governance administration, giving it the authority to establish operational entities to address issues including the reconstruction of Gaza and of economic recovery programmes.The World Bank, the UN and the European Union had estimated in February it would cost more than $50bn to rebuild Gaza, and are finalising a new interim estimate of $70bn."Our engagement in Gaza will require the ability to work with international partners who enjoy the full support of the international community and full authorisation to undertake their efforts," World Bank President Ajay Banga wrote to US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz."The proposal to establish an authority, in the current draft the Board of Peace, by the UN Security Council with the authorisations set out in the resolution would provide the needed framework for engagement by the Bank," he said in the letter Sunday.Banga was responding to correspondence from Waltz, thanking him for sharing the draft UN resolution.The current text also "calls upon the World Bank and other financial institutions to facilitate and provide financial resources to support the reconstruction and development of Gaza as it would provide to its members, including through the establishment of a dedicated trust fund for this purpose and governed by donors."Banga said the bank appreciated this language, adding: "We are moving with all deliberate speed in these efforts so we will be ready on day one when asked to answer this call."Israel and Palestinian group Hamas agreed a month ago to the first phase of US President Donald Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza, a ceasefire in their two-year war and a hostage release deal. The next phase of the plan, which the draft UN resolution would endorse, is to establish the Board of Peace and a temporary International Stabilization Force in Gaza.The US formally circulated the draft resolution to Security Council members late on Wednesday.The draft would authorize a two-year mandate for the ISF that could "use all necessary measures" - language for force - to carry out its mandate.The US asked countries to submit feedback on the text by last Friday, said diplomats. A council resolution needs at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by Russia, China, France, Britain or the United States to be adopted. Washington has said it aims to put the draft to a vote within "weeks, not months.""Overall, things are looking very positive. We're making changes to respond to concerns that some have raised," a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.

The death toll from the Israeli aggression on Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, has risen to 69,169 martyrs in addition to 170,685 wounded, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.The ministry reported that since the ceasefire came into effect on October 11, a total of 241 people have been martyred and 614 injured, while 522 bodies have been recovered from the rubble. Adding that over the past 72 hours, hospitals in Gaza Strip received the bodies of 10 martyrs, including 9 recovered from beneath the rubble, in addition to 6 injured individuals.The ministry noted that many victims remain trapped under the debris and along the roads, as ambulance and civil defense teams continue to face severe difficulties reaching them.A ceasefire agreement between Hamas and the Israeli entity came into effect on October 11, following the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from populated areas in the Strip and the beginning of the return of displaced residents to northern Gaza. The truce marked the first phase of US President Donald Trump's initiative to end the war on Gaza.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas discussed via phone the latest developments in Gaza and Sudan, efforts to promote peace and sustainable development across Africa, and strengthening the Egypt-EU bilateral relations.In a statement issued Saturday, Egypt's Foreign Ministry said Abdelatty briefed Kallas on Cairo's efforts to uphold the Sharm El-Sheikh cease-fire agreement in Gaza. He also outlined preparations for Egypt's upcoming hosting of the International Conference on Early Recovery and Reconstruction in Gaza, scheduled for later this month, and expressed hope for active participation from EU member states.On Sudan, both sides emphasized the importance of preserving the country's unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national institutions. They also condemned the recent atrocities reported in the city of El Fasher.

The United States will share a draft resolution on President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza with the 10 elected members of the United Nations Security Council, a US official said. Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas agreed a month ago to the first phase of Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza: a ceasefire in their two-year war and hostage-release deal.The United States has drafted a UN Security Council resolution that would approve a two-year mandate for a Gaza transitional governance body and an international stabilization force in the Palestinian enclave, according to the text seen by Reuters.A resolution needs at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by Russia, China, the US, Britain or France to be adopted.It was not immediately clear if the US has yet shared a copy of the draft resolution with Russia and China. The two-page text seen by Reuters would authorize a Board of Peace transitional governance administration to establish a temporary International Stabilisation Force (ISF) in Gaza that could "use all necessary measures" - code for force - to carry out its mandate.

The United Nations said Tuesday it had distributed food parcels to one million people in Gaza since the ceasefire, but warned it was still in a race to save lives.The UN's World Food Programme stressed all crossing points into the Gaza Strip should be opened to flood the famine-hit Palestinian territory with aid, adding that no reason was given why the northern crossings with Israel remained closed."Three and a half weeks into the ceasefire in Gaza, we have distributed food parcels to around one million people across the Gaza Strip," said the WFP's Middle East spokeswoman Abeer Etefa."That's part of the broad operation to push back hunger in Gaza," she told reporters in Geneva, speaking from Cairo.WFP aims to reach 1.6 million people in the territory with parcels, which provide enough food for a family for 10 days.However, to get operations running at the level required, "we really need more access, more border crossings to be opened and more access to key roads inside Gaza," said Etefa.The US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect on October 10.Etefa described how the WFP was scaling up operations in Gaza and opened 44 of the 145 food distribution points it hopes to run.An estimated 700,000 people are now receiving fresh bread daily, supplied through 17 WFP-supported bakeries: nine in south and central Gaza, and eight in the north.The agency is hoping to get 25 up and running.Etefa said while food consumption levels had increased slightly thanks to the humanitarian aid and commercial trucks now allowed to enter, they remained well below pre-conflict levels.Furthermore, at this stage, households are still eating mostly cereals and pulses, with meat, eggs, vegetables and fruit being consumed "extremely rarely".Nour Hammad, WFP's spokeswoman in Gaza, said commercial food prices were still beyond the reach of most families, saying an apple now costs as much as a kilogramme of apples did before the war broke out in October 2023.The WFP said it had only been able to bring in roughly half of what was required to meet the food needs of people in Gaza."The needs are overwhelming," said Etefa, adding: "We are in a race to save lives."She said WFP trucks were still only coming through the Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings, severely limiting the amount of aid that can enter Gaza, and posing a major obstacle to getting aid to the north."We actually haven't been given clear answers on why the northern crossing points are still closed," she said.

Ceasefire allows Palestinians to return home, but violence persistsHamas and Israel exchange hostages and bodiesIsraeli fire killed three Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Monday, north of the southern city of Rafah, which remains under Israeli control, according to local health authorities, further testing the fragile US-backed ceasefire.In a statement issued earlier on Monday, the Israeli military said forces identified "terrorists" who crossed the yellow line, which marks areas the army still occupies. It said they were advancing towards troops in southern Gaza, posing an immediate threat, before it struck them.Medics said one of those killed was a woman. The identities of the two others weren't immediately clear. The incident follows days of Israeli strikes on the enclave, provoking mutual accusations between Hamas and Israel over violations of the tenuous ceasefire that halted two years of war.Residents said Israeli forces continued to demolish houses in the eastern areas of Rafah, Khan Younis, and Gaza City, where forces continue to operate.The ceasefire, which came into effect on October 10, has calmed most fighting, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to the ruins of their homes in Gaza. Israel has withdrawn troops from positions in cities, and more aid has been allowed to enter.Hamas turned over all 20 living hostages held in Gaza in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian convicts and wartime detainees held by Israel. Hamas has also agreed to turn over the bodies of hostages, a process which is still incomplete and which it says is difficult, while Israel accuses Hamas of stalling.But violence has not completely halted. Palestinian health authorities say Israeli forces have killed 239 people in strikes on Gaza since the truce, nearly half of them in a single day last week when Israel retaliated for an attack on its troops.Israel says three of its soldiers have been killed and it has targeted scores of fighters.Meanwhile, the Gaza health ministry said on Monday it received 45 bodies of Palestinians killed by Israel whose bodies were in Israeli custody. Monday's handover raised the number of Palestinian bodies Israel has returned to Gaza to 270.Hamas has so far returned 20 of the 28 bodies of hostages that had been buried in Gaza.