Shelter in Gaza: a battle for survival after the war

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The whine of bombardments has fallen silent above their heads, but their daily struggle to survive continues, with the same bitterness seeping through the cracks of worn-out tents.

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For the residents of the devastated territory, life today is a daily, exhausting journey to escape death, as a large part of the infrastructure has been destroyed and electricity is rarely available.

Hundreds of thousands of residents are living in tents after being displaced repeatedly over the past two years as a result of the war that began after Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023.

Even the tents are no longer able to accommodate the large number of displaced people or withstand heavy rains and strong winter winds. Scenes of suffering have become familiar throughout the Gaza Strip, whose population exceeds two million.

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Shelter… an ordeal

According to the office of the UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson, an estimated one million people, about half of Gaza’s population, remain in urgent need of shelter assistance.

The office stated that the need for shelter support persists, despite humanitarian workers distributing thousands of tents, hundreds of thousands of tarpaulins, and other materials across the Strip since the ceasefire.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that humanitarian workers in Gaza continue to assist the most vulnerable families, as harsh winter conditions leave hundreds of thousands of Palestinians struggling in temporary tents damaged by rain, wind, and seawater.

At the same time, UN partners working in the water, sanitation, and hygiene sectors face challenges in managing solid waste.

This comes as the gap widens between waste collected and waste accumulated, due to the lack of access to landfills, damaged infrastructure, and fuel shortages, according to the spokesperson.

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Call to reverse the decision

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday called on Israel to reverse its decision to prevent many international humanitarian organizations from entering the Gaza Strip, according to a statement issued by his spokesperson.

Stéphane Dujarric said that Guterres was “deeply concerned by the announcement by the Israeli authorities suspending the activities of numerous international NGOs in the occupied Palestinian territories,” and that he “calls for this measure to be reversed.”

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He stressed that these international organizations are “indispensable for vital humanitarian work,” adding that the suspension “threatens to undermine the fragile progress achieved during the ceasefire” in Gaza.

Israel confirmed on Thursday that it would bar 37 major international humanitarian organizations from entering the Gaza Strip, accusing them of failing to provide lists of their employees, which are now officially required for “security” reasons.

The measure raises fears of further delays in the delivery of aid to Gaza, devastated by two years of war, where most of the population is in urgent need of shelter, healthcare, and food.

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