CAIRO, November 9, 2026 (WAFA) – The Arab Parliament has issued an urgent humanitarian appeal to the international community, the United Nations and its relevant agencies, Arab, Islamic, and international humanitarian and relief organizations, and the global human conscience. It calls for immediate and urgent action to save the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip—especially children, women, and the elderly—who face the risk of death from freezing temperatures and drowning within dilapidated displacement tents. This comes amidst heavy rainfall, storms, and bitter cold, compounded by a complete lack of the most basic elements of safe shelter and humanitarian protection.
In a statement released today, the Arab Parliament warned of an escalating humanitarian catastrophe as hundreds of thousands of displaced individuals continue to endure harsh living conditions that threaten their lives and safety. The Parliament emphasized that the sight of displacement tents being flooded by rainwater—with some collapsing upon their occupants—alongside the suffering of children, women, and the elderly in the freezing cold, represents a horrific humanitarian tragedy.
This situation demands immediate international intervention and serves as a stain on the international community, which must not remain content with merely issuing statements of concern and condemnation while an entire population is left to face the threat of death in the open, exposed to the elements, after their homes have been destroyed and they have been stripped of the most basic necessities for a dignified life and human security.
The Arab Parliamentfurther emphasized that what displaced persons in the Gaza Strip are facing is not merely a disaster caused by adverse weather conditions, but a humanitarian tragedy exacerbated by the widespread destruction left in the wake of the Israeli occupation’s aggression—a situation that has deprived the Palestinian people of the most basic necessities of life, safe shelter, and humanitarian protection.
It asserted that protecting civilians and meeting their essential needs is a legal obligation mandated by the rules of international humanitarian law—foremost among them the Fourth Geneva Convention—as well as a humanitarian and moral responsibility that brooks no delay. It also added that continuing to expose thousands of Palestinian families—especially children, women, and the elderly—to the risk of death from freezing temperatures or drowning serves as a true test of the conscience of humanity and the credibility of the international community.
The Arab Parliament called upon the United Nations, the UN Security Council, and various humanitarian and relief organizations to take immediate and effective international action. This includes providing temporary housing and weather-resistant tents, shelter supplies, heating equipment, blankets, and medicine; ensuring the unhindered entry of humanitarian aid; and taking urgent measures to protect displaced persons from the dangers of rain and flooding. Furthermore, it urged that the Israeli occupation authorities be compelled to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and ensure that aid reaches those who need it.
It stressed that Gaza does not need more statements of solidarity or sympathy; rather, it requires urgent international action that saves lives, preserves human dignity, and puts an end to the current state of international silence and inaction.
K.T
