At least 10,000 Palestinians were displaced over the weekend after a rare winter storm caused massive flooding. United Nations spokesperson Chris Gunness said the recovery effort was further hindered by the long-running Israeli blockade.

Chris Gunness: “Gaza has become a disaster zone, with water as far the eye can see, in certain areas two meters high, stranding tens of thousands of people. UNRWA has been working 24/7, 4,000 workers working 'round the clock. We've distributed 5,000 liters of fuel so that the pumping stations can work. And we’re taking people to UNRWA facilities. But this is disaster relief under blockade, under occupation. It’s very, very problematic.”

In response, Israel has allowed an emergency shipment of fuel into Gaza donated by the Qatari government. The fuel will restart Gaza’s lone power plant, which was forced to shut down in October. The move will give Gaza residents eight hours of power at a time, followed by eight hours of blackouts.