UNRWA reports refugee shelters in Gaza nearly four times overcrowded
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said shelters for internally displaced people in the Gaza Strip were four times overcrowded, adding that about 690 thousand people are accommodated across 149 centres, TASS reports
Overcrowding is reported to pose serious health problems for refugees. Currently, the average occupancy per shelter is nearly four times its planned capacity. According to the agency, up to 240 people are accommodated in a room of up to 60sq.m.
It is also noted that currently about 690 thousand internally displaced persons are taking shelter in 149 facilities throughout the Gaza Strip. An estimated 160,000 people are staying in 57 shelters in the north of the enclave and the city of Gaza.
As the agency underlined, the available humanitarian assistance ‘is still insufficient to meet the basic needs of the affected population’.
