OIC Secretary General Calls on Member States to Extend Support to Victims of Weather Conditions

The Middle East region witnessed a wave of very cold weather with the fall of the snow and rain causing Syrian refuges and Iraqi displaced people to suffer. The storm also affected Palestinian people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in particular. It aggravated the sufferance of millions of displaced Syrian people and refugees living in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. Heavy rains fell on Zatari Syrian refugee camp in Jordan. Strong winds uprooted hundreds of tents. They also disrupted several roads leading to Lebanon specially mountainous ones rendering access to the Syrian refugees camps difficult. On the other hand, inhabitants of the Gaza Strip still suffer from the consequences of the Israeli aggression and the hindered reconstruction process because of the Israeli blockade. Weather conditions affecting the region aggravated the hardships of thousands of Palestinian families living in the Gaza Strip, especially those whose houses where destroyed by Israeli aggression. Thousands of people had to take refuge in schools in tragic conditions especially with the aggravated problem of electricity. Floods in Gaza affected more than 10.000 families leading to the displacement of 1400 families. Families living around Birkat Shikh Radwan started to flee their homes fearing possible floods. The Palestinian Ministry of Education in Gaza suspended work in all educational institutions. The OIC follows with deep concern the consequences of the storm on humanitarian conditions in the affected states. H.E. Iyad Madani, the OIC Secretary General, called on Member States, and the international and regional humanitarian organization to extend a helping hand expeditiously to the victims in these countries. The OIC is ready to dispatch humanitarian assistance to the affected people in various regions, within the spirit of Islamic solidarity and with the aim of promoting synergy among the people and nations of the Islamic World.