Board of Peace envoy blasts ‘unacceptable’ Israeli curbs on Gaza shelter materials

The Board of Peace’s Gaza envoy Nickolay Mladenov calls out Israel for not allowing sufficient shelter equipment into the Strip, in a rare and direct public criticism of the Jewish state from a top emissary of a US-controlled body.

Briefing the UN Security Council, Mladenov notes that humanitarian conditions in Gaza have improved dramatically from last year when a global hunger monitor declared for the first time that famine has struck the densely populated northern Gaza Strip — a claim Israel denied at the time.

The Board of Peace envoy says needs in Gaza have shifted from food to sanitation, water and energy, which are being addressed by the UN, international organizations and Israel.

Shelter, on the other hand, remains sorely lacking in Gaza where the majority of the population of 2 million people are still living in tents.

Mladenov lays blame directly on Israel for the situation: “Winter is around the corner, and Israel’s present policy on quality shelter is not acceptable,” he says. “The Board of Peace urges the State of Israel to allow better shelter into the Strip for dignity, for health and for safety.”