UN warns of escalating fire risks in Gaza refugee camps

The United Nations has warned that displaced Palestinian families living in overcrowded camps in the Gaza Strip continue to face a high risk of fires, along with escalating health threats, as safer and more suitable housing solutions remain urgently needed.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Saturday that many families are forced to cook, sleep, and store their belongings in cramped spaces where they use open fires, noting that at least 12 fires have been recorded in shelters since last November.

OCHA added that in just ten days this February, humanitarian workers were able to provide shelter for 85 families in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis after their shelters were damaged by a fire in Gaza City.