The Egyptian Committee in the Gaza Strip intensified its movements seeking to mitigate the repercussions of the “air depression” that caused the sinking of a large number of tents and the displacement of thousands of families who live amidst infrastructure destroyed by the Israeli war on the Strip, and in light of the difficulties facing the process of early recovery and reconstruction, in addition to the obstacles to the introduction of humanitarian aid.
On Friday evening, the Egyptian Committee announced the activation of the emergency plan with the participation of its field cadres and operating mechanisms, in preparation for confronting the repercussions of the “air depression.” The plan included opening roads, removing obstacles, and distributing tents to affected and displaced families, in addition to strengthening and installing existing tents, in a way that contributes to reducing the effects of rain and wind and protecting Palestinian families, according to a statement issued by the committee.
Thousands of displaced persons' tents in the Gaza Strip sank with the first air depression to hit the region, according to official Palestinian sources and eyewitnesses, on Saturday. The Strip, which is inhabited by nearly two million people, the majority of whom live in camps, tents and damaged residential buildings, witnessed heavy rains from the early hours of Friday night until Saturday morning.
The spokesman for the Egyptian Committee in the Gaza Strip, Mohamed Mansour, said that the committee, in partnership with international and relief organizations, has implemented an “emergency plan” to deal with the repercussions of the deep air depression on the Gaza Strip, indicating that the plan aims for rapid intervention with the participation of specialized mechanisms that arrived from Egypt to deal with the heavy rains, and that field teams have begun their movements in the various governorates of the Strip, and are working around the clock to respond to humanitarian calls after receiving thousands of calls for help.
He added in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, on Saturday, that “the Gaza Strip lacks the slightest resistance to life and the situation has become tragic, and we appeal to the world and international and humanitarian institutions to intensify efforts to provide the needs. There are 480,000 families in the Gaza Strip in need of urgent aid, and the Gaza Strip lacks parachutes and is in need of blankets, shoes and clothes for children.”
He pointed out that during the recent period, the Egyptian Committee renovated tents and built entire camps, but the heavy rains and their mixing with sewage water made them dilapidated and unsuitable after they flooded the places where the displaced were living. He explained that Gaza needs to bring in equipment to deal with the current situation, with the need for relief efforts to be united, and for the world to respond quickly to the call to deliver aid to Gaza.
According to the Palestinian News Agency, Wafa, the number of tents sheltering displaced families throughout the Gaza Strip is estimated at approximately 270,000 tents. The agency said that these temporary tents are “made of nylon and thin fabric,” and lack “the most basic elements of protection from rain, wind, and extreme cold.”
The report indicated that more than 400,000 displaced people live in “high-risk locations exposed to floods and rainwater accumulation, or near the seashore.” “This increases their chances of being exposed to the dangers of weather depressions and winter storms,” in light of “the absence of fuel and the scarcity of heating means.”
While the coalition of “Palestinian civil society organizations” revealed that “hundreds of thousands of displaced people in the Gaza Strip are facing the winter without shelter in light of the widespread destruction and lack of protection,” explaining that “damaged tents, the absence of heating means, and a shortage of winter clothing threaten the lives of the displaced in Gaza.”
The coalition of "Palestinian civil society organizations" warned that "the risks of drowning and the spread of diseases and epidemics are exacerbated by weather depressions and poor rainwater drainage in Gaza," stressing that "leaving the displaced in Gaza to face the cold and rain without providing shelter and protection needs exacerbates the humanitarian crisis."
The coalition called for providing rain- and wind-resistant tents, replacing damaged tents in the Gaza Strip, improving rainwater drainage networks, and preparing shelter centers and displacement sites in Gaza, while giving priority to children, women, the elderly, the sick, and people with disabilities in providing winter aid.
The Yemeni government intensified its diplomatic movements in the German capital, Berlin, to mobilize European political and economic support that enhances its ability to confront the Houthi escalation and restore state institutions, in conjunction with warnings of the Iranian-backed group’s threat extending to the security of international navigation and global trade interests, and calls to correct what the government described as false narratives regarding the Yemeni crisis.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs, Dr. Afrah Al-Zouba, confirmed during a series of meetings with German officials and parliamentarians, Arab diplomats, experts and representatives of research centres, that continued international leniency towards Houthi violations has encouraged the group to expand its destabilizing activities and transfer its threats from within Yemen to the vital sea lanes in the region.
In a roundtable session organized by the German Korber Foundation as part of the “Berlin Political Breakfast” event, the Minister reviewed the roots of the Yemeni crisis since the Houthis’ coup against the national consensus and the legitimate government in September 2014, and their invasion of the capital, Sana’a, by force of arms, and undermining the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference, leading to the recent military escalation and attempts to target international navigation in the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Al-Zouba said that the group's escalatory behavior constitutes a direct threat to regional and international peace and security, warning that international silence and leniency towards its violations gives it space to continue threatening global trade.
The Houthi threat expands
Within the same movements, the Yemeni minister, during her participation in another round table organized by the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation, warned of the extension of the Houthi threat to the security of the region and international navigation, pointing to the targeting of shipping lines and coordination with terrorist groups in the Horn of Africa, including the Somali Al-Shabaab movement.
Al-Zuba linked the Houthis’ rejection of peace efforts to their attempts to impose control over the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the launch of Operation “Yemen Dawn,” saying that the operation aims to restore state institutions and protect sea lanes from threats to international navigation and trade.
She called on the participants, including officials, experts, and members of the ruling party in Germany, to convey an accurate picture of Yemeni developments to their institutions and decision-makers, and to correct the false narratives about the crisis, in order to ensure that the voice of the Yemenis and the repercussions of the military and humanitarian escalation on them are heard.
In this context, she stressed that supporting the Yemeni government politically, economically and humanitarianly represents an essential gateway to strengthening its ability to carry out its responsibilities, establishing stability and restoring state institutions.
The siege of Taiz and collective punishment
The humanitarian situation in the city of Taiz occupied a major aspect of the Minister’s discussions. It highlighted the continuation of the Houthi siege and the resulting prevention of the entry of food, medicine, and basic supplies, the closure of health facilities, and the obstruction of the evacuation of the sick and wounded through safe corridors.
She stressed that these practices represent collective punishment against civilians, and exacerbate the suffering of the most vulnerable groups, especially women and children, noting that the siege caused the death of a number of civilians as a result of their inability to obtain the necessary care and medical supplies.
During her meeting with the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in the German Parliament, Armin Laschet, Al-Zuba discussed the developments of the Yemeni crisis and its regional repercussions, warning that the threat to freedom of navigation and global trade represents an extension of the Houthi destabilizing behavior since the group took control of state institutions.
Al-Zuba also reviewed the efforts made by the internationally recognized government, starting from the temporary capital, Aden, to advance service and development responsibilities, stressing that the stability of state institutions and securing its own resources represent a major entry point to address the humanitarian crisis in a sustainable manner.
She called on Germany and European partners to provide urgent political and economic support to the government, with a focus on building national capabilities, especially the Coast Guard and maritime border monitoring forces, in order to enhance their ability to combat the smuggling of Iranian weapons and military technologies to the Houthis.
The Yemeni official media reported that Laschet expressed his concern about the Houthi violations of human rights, especially the recruitment of children and the deterioration of the living conditions of civilians, stressing that targeting navigation in the Red Sea affects the economic security of the European Union countries and the world.
The German official stressed the need for the parliament and government in his country to develop, in coordination with the European Union, a new strategy for dealing with the Yemeni file that keeps pace with rapid developments and protects regional and international security.
The humanitarian and health repercussions of the Houthi siege imposed on the Yemeni city of Taiz have worsened, with the aggressive attacks on the city entering their second month, amid a decline in basic services and a rise in indicators of the spread of epidemic diseases, at a time when the United Nations suspended the delivery of aid to the Qataba District, north of Al Dhalea Governorate, and neighboring displaced persons camps, following the fall of a Houthi missile near their shelter areas.
In the face of deteriorating food security, the World Food Program and its partners launched an initiative to provide emergency meals to the most needy families in the city of Taiz, relying on food ingredients from local sources, targeting in its first phase two thousand families distributed over three districts.
The initiative comes at a time when the city, which the Houthis are imposing a renewed siege on, is facing a worsening crisis in basic services, especially water, health and hygiene, with the increasing difficulty of the population’s access to essential needs.
According to data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than 310,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in Yemen since the beginning of August, including about 135,000 displaced people still inside Taiz Governorate, representing more than 40 percent of the total newly displaced people.
With regard to responding to emergency needs, humanitarian partners were able to provide shelter assistance to about 5,600 displaced families, out of more than 51,000 families displaced since August, while planning is underway to distribute shelter supplies and tents to an additional 4,600 families.
Suspension of aid in Al-Dhalea
In the north of Al Dhalea Governorate, security concerns imposed new restrictions on humanitarian operations, after a missile fired by the Houthis landed about one kilometer from the city of Qaataba, near areas hosting displaced people.
Initial reports indicated that a number of civilians were injured as a result of the incident, which prompted the suspension of the delivery of humanitarian aid to the district and nearby displaced camps, as a precautionary measure in light of the risks threatening the safety of relief workers and beneficiaries.
This comment comes to add a new obstacle to humanitarian response efforts, at a time when the needs resulting from waves of displacement and military escalation are increasing, especially in areas that host large numbers of families fleeing confrontations.
Worrying epidemiological indicators
In Taiz, the Public Health and Population Office warned of increasing health and epidemiological risks as a result of the continued siege and the decline in health and environmental services, based on indicators that monitored a decrease in medical consultations and an increase in some infectious diseases.
The Epidemiological Surveillance Department report showed a decline in the average weekly medical consultations by 27 percent, from 24 thousand to about 17.5 thousand consultations, an indicator that reflects the decline in the ability of health facilities to provide services and reach patients.
In contrast, suspected dengue cases increased by 26 percent at the governorate level, while the increase reached 71 percent within the city of Taiz per thousand consultations. Mumps cases also recorded an increase of 94 percent.
The report monitored a 50 percent decrease in suspected cases of measles, whooping cough, and meningitis, coinciding with a 40 percent decline in vaccination and epidemic containment operations, which raises concerns about widening gaps in prevention and early detection.
As for water-borne diseases, data showed a decrease in suspected cholera cases by 42 percent, compared to an increase in the rate of watery diarrhea in the city by 22 percent, amid warnings of pollution of water sources, accumulation of waste, and poor sanitation services.
Decreased response
The health report pointed to a decline in epidemiological response activities, as alerts decreased by 19 percent, and home visits by response teams decreased by the same percentage, while laboratory samples decreased by 22 percent. He warned that the decrease in the number of recorded cases does not necessarily mean an improvement in the epidemiological situation, as it may be the result of reduced access to health services and weak surveillance activities.
These risks multiply with the shortage of fuel and medical supplies and the cessation of waste removal operations, the amounts of which range in the city between 500 and 600 tons per day, threatening the continuation of health services, including the operation of child incubators and dialysis machines.
The government report called for providing 1,200 liters of diesel per day to the hygiene fund, in addition to intensifying mosquito control and water sterilization campaigns, supporting health facilities with fuel and medical supplies, strengthening vaccination and epidemiological surveillance programs, and providing mobile medical teams to reach rural areas.
These indicators reflect the expanding pressures faced by the residents of Taiz, as the siege and decline in services coincide with waves of displacement and lack of basic needs, at a time when health and environmental risks threaten to exacerbate the humanitarian crisis, and place health facilities facing increasing challenges to maintain their minimum services.
