Gaza: Nearly One Million Palestinians Face Winter without Shelter

Only 23 per cent of Gaza’s shelter needs have been met this autumn, leaving nearly one million Palestinians vulnerable to exposure during the harsh winter months, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council-led Shelter Cluster in Palestine.

The Shelter Cluster estimated in September that 2,000 trucks of tents or 200 trucks of sealing-off kits were urgently needed to provide basic winter protection for 1.13 million displaced Palestinians in Gaza. By late November, only 285,000 displaced people had received essential shelter materials.

Since early October, Israel’s offensive and siege on North Gaza have displaced an additional 100,000 Palestinians, and in total 945,000 people are now in need of shelter assistance. 

The entry of shelter materials into Gaza has decreased as flour, essential to address growing starvation, is being prioritised for transport through Gate 96 along the Fence Road, the most secure route for aid convoys.

The Shelter Cluster urges donor governments to press Israel to allow the entry of weather-proofing materials and ensure safe access for humanitarian workers to reach vulnerable Palestinians throughout Gaza. 

“We’ve received only a fraction of the aid required to address the shelter crisis,” said Jeroen Quanjer, Shelter Cluster chair in Palestine. “Hundreds of thousands of displaced families are enduring the winter cold and rain without meaningful protection…

… Israeli authorities’ repeated denial of essential shelter materials prevents us from scaling up our response to build emergency shelters that can withstand Gaza’s winter conditions.” 

A winter storm in late November flooded displacement sites, destroying tents and makeshift shelters and forcing many families to relocate. At least 101 displacement sites south of Wadi Gaza, hosting 450,720 Palestinians, are prone to flooding. 

“We woke up to water flooding our tents,” said Mahmoud, a displaced Palestinian in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah city.

“Our children were asleep as the water reached them. Our mattresses and clothes are ruined. Now, there’s nothing left, just a lake of water. I’m trying to salvage what’s left, but I feel abandoned. No one seems to care, neither the Arab world nor decision-makers. We’ve been left on our own.” 

Repeated displacements have forced families to leave behind essential shelter materials, often fleeing with only what they can carry. Many tents and supplies provided by aid agencies over the past year are now unusable due to wear and tear.

Replacement supplies have been scarce as shelter materials entering Gaza have drastically decreased in recent months. 

Between 1 September and 25 November, only 123 trucks carrying shelter assistance entered Gaza— an average of just ten trucks per week. Many of these trucks included items not directly related to winterisation, such as mattresses and bedding.

The limited supplies of tents and sealing-off kits, which include tarpaulins, plastic sheets, rope, and duct tape, have been insufficient to meet the overwhelming needs. 

The Shelter Cluster calls for immediate action to address the shelter crisis in Gaza, warning that further delays in delivering critical supplies will leave hundreds of thousands of Palestinians exposed to life-threatening conditions this winter. 

Notes: 

• The UN reports that 1.9 million Palestinians have been internally displaced in Gaza. The vast majority are south of Wadi Gaza (OCHA). 

• In September, the Shelter Cluster estimated that at least 25 trucks of sealing off kits per week over eight weeks would be required to meet the basic shelter winterisation needs of 1 million Palestinians in southern Gaza. If tents were provided instead, ten times more trucks would be needed to assist the same number of people. 

• Only 23 per cent of winter shelter needs in Gaza have been met this autumn, leaving 945,000 Palestinians in need. (Shelter Cluster).

• There are around 58,000 sealing off kits and over 36,000 tarpaulins procured and ready to be brought into Gaza that would serve around 76,000 families or about 400,000 people, which would still leave 44 per cent of winter shelter needs unmet.  

• At least 101 displacement sites south of Wadi Gaza that host 450,720 Palestinians are prone to flooding (Site Management Working Group). 

• Israel, as the occupying power, has an obligation to facilitate humanitarian assistance under Article 59 (1) of the Fourth Geneva Convention. 

• The list of items currently provided by the Shelter Cluster includes sealing-off kits and bedding sets (Shelter Cluster). 

• Temperatures in Gaza can fall to as low as 6C, with an average cumulative rainfall of 53 cm during winter. 

• With limited space to shelter safely, Palestinians in Gaza are exposed to the risks of hypothermia and other severe health conditions (WHO). 

• The Shelter Cluster in Palestine supports people affected by disasters and internally displaced people affected by conflict with the means to live in safe, dignified and appropriate shelter.

• It enables enables better coordination among shelter actors so that people who need shelter assistance get help faster and receive the right kind of support.