The Red Cross has called for safe and unhindered access to Gaza to bring desperately needed aid into the conflict-torn Palestinian territory wracked by hunger and where babies are freezing to death, AFP reports.

Heavy rain and flooding have ravaged the makeshift shelters in Gaza, leaving thousands with up to 30 centimetres (one foot) of water inside their damaged tents, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said.

The dire weather conditions were “exacerbating the unbearable conditions” in Gaza, it said, pointing out that many families were left “clinging on to survival in makeshift camps, without even the most basic necessities, such as blankets”.

“I urgently reiterate my call to grant safe and unhindered access to humanitarians to let them provide life-saving assistance,” IFRC Secretary-General Jagan Chapagain said.