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Nearly all of Gaza’s roughly 2 million residents face a fourth winter without adequate shelter, the United Nations agency International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned Friday, urging more funding and for Israel to ease restrictions that are blocking critical supplies.
Shelter shortages leave millions exposed
The IOM said nearly 1.8 million people in the besieged Palestinian territory “are facing a fourth winter without adequate protection from rain, flooding and cold.” The agency reported that more than half of tents and makeshift shelters are in poor condition and should be replaced, leaving many families with few options beyond unstable, war-damaged buildings.
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“With few alternatives available, many families are living in war-damaged buildings that pose serious risks to life.” The IOM made the comment while describing the collapse last month of a six‑storey building in Gaza City that killed 21 people, including 12 children, which the agency cited as an example of the dangers residents face.
The IOM added that existing humanitarian shelter supplies would cover only 17% of Gaza’s identified winter needs. The agency warned that the El Niño weather pattern could bring heavier rains, which may further weaken unsafe structures and increase flooding because drainage systems are heavily damaged.
Pre-positioned aid turned away at crossings
Humanitarian groups say supplies staged outside Gaza are being prevented from entering. The IOM said that roughly 8,600 of its emergency shelter kits are pre-positioned and ready for delivery but are “continu[ing] to be turned away at crossing points by the Israeli authorities.”
“Shelter materials must enter quickly, predictably and at the scale required,” said Amy Pope, the IOM’s director general, urging states and donors to increase funding to meet urgent winter needs.
The World Health Organization warned in September that the start of the rainy season raises new health risks in Gaza, including increased mosquito‑borne disease and other sanitation-related threats, a development aid agencies say heightens the urgency of getting shelter and health supplies in place.
Security concerns and international criticism
Israel has faced increased international criticism over conditions in Gaza and the slow entry of humanitarian aid. Israeli authorities say they are restricting some items to prevent goods that could be used for military purposes from entering the territory and have repeatedly accused Hamas of plotting further attacks. Aid groups and U.N. agencies say those security measures are constraining deliveries of essential materials needed to protect civilians through the winter.
The humanitarian appeal from the IOM and other agencies comes as Gaza enters a fourth year under heavy wartime restrictions that began after the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023; a ceasefire was announced in October last year but, according to aid organizations, living conditions in Gaza remain dire.
