In brief

• The EU has urged Israel to open Gaza's border crossings and remove restrictions on humanitarian aid.
• Flooding and cold weather have worsened conditions for displaced people living in tents.
• Five deaths were reported, including a nine-month-old infant who died of hypothermia.

Floods and cold deepen crisis

The European Union's diplomatic service said on Saturday that conditions in Gaza had worsened because of flooding and the arrival of cold weather. The statement came from the bloc's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, who called for "immediate" and "unhindered" access for humanitarian and rescue organisations. (Vyzýváme Izrael, aby umožnil neomezený vstup humanitární pomoci do Gazy, apeluje Evropská unie – iROZHLAS) (EU: Israel soll Zugang für Helfer in den Gazastreifen gewähren – tagesschau.de)

Persistent downpours have swamped tens of thousands of tents sheltering displaced residents. Palestinian authorities said five people had died. A nine-month-old infant died of hypothermia, which the health authority run by Hamas described as the first cold-related death of this winter.

Demands on border crossings

Brussels is asking Israel to open all border crossings to the Gaza Strip and to allow United Nations agencies and non-governmental organisations to work there. (Európska únia vyzvala Izrael, aby okamžite sprístupnil Pásmo Gazy pre humanitárnu pomoc po ničivých záplavách – Aktuality.sk) The EU says restrictions on aid must be removed, even though a ceasefire has been in place for a year.

Ceasefire under strain

The EU notes that military strikes have continued in Gaza since the truce took effect, and residents still lack basic goods. Images from the area show displaced families living in tents on the coast and in northern Gaza, where shelters have been exposed to the weather.

More than a million people are reported to be displaced in the territory, which was devastated by three years of war.