European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib in Brussels, Belgium, on February 23, 2026. [Dursun Aydemir – Anadolu Agency]
EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib on Sunday called for greater access for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip as heavy rains flooded displacement camps, worsening conditions for families already facing a severe humanitarian crisis, Anadolu reports.
“In Gaza, families are bailing water out of their tents with pots and pans,” Lahbib wrote on US social media platform X.
She said flooding had swept through camps sheltering displaced Palestinians, adding that the rainfall was further aggravating an already dire situation.
“The rain makes a crisis that was already unbearable worse,” she said.
READ: Flooded out of their tents, Gaza families have nowhere left to go
Lahbib noted that humanitarian organizations were continuing their operations despite the storm but stressed the urgent need for additional assistance.
“They need more aid to get in, now,” she underlined.
According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, storms that began late Friday flooded approximately 70,000 tents sheltering displaced Palestinians, while damaged infrastructure and shortages of emergency equipment have complicated relief operations.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said Thursday that about 1.98 million people in Gaza needed shelter and other essential supplies, highlighting the scale of humanitarian needs ahead of winter.
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