ANKARA

At least two Palestinian children have lost their lives due to a heat wave in the Gaza Strip, the UN refugee agency UNRWA said on Sunday.

“We received reports that at least two children died due to the heat,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement.

“What more to endure: death, hunger, disease, displacement, and now living in greenhouses-like structures under scorching heat,” he added.

A severe heat wave has added to the misery of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, already under a deadly Israeli offensive that killed more than 34,400 people and injured thousands since a Hamas attack last October that killed nearly 1,200 people.

“As temperature rises, life conditions in Gaza worsen,” UNRWA said.

“Displaced people have access to less than 1 L of water per person per day for drinking, washing and bathing, against the 15 L minimum according to Sphere Standards,” it added.

“Children pay the highest toll: we need a cease-fire now.”

More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi