{"id":282776,"date":"2024-12-23T12:00:23","date_gmt":"2024-12-23T12:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=282776"},"modified":"2024-12-17T06:37:07","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T06:37:07","slug":"gaza-nearly-one-million-palestinians-face-winter-without-shelter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2024\/12\/gaza-nearly-one-million-palestinians-face-winter-without-shelter\/","title":{"rendered":"Gaza: Nearly One Million Palestinians Face Winter without Shelter"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Palestine Internal displacement shelter and settlements.\u00a0 NRC<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
16 Dec 2024 \u2014 Thousands of families in Gaza are struggling as the winter season brings heavy rains, causing floods in their tents and exposing them to the cold and wind.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n

Only 23 per cent of Gaza\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

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.<\/p>\n

Since early October, Israel\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve received only a fraction of the aid required to address the shelter crisis,\u201d said Jeroen Quanjer, Shelter Cluster chair in Palestine. \u201cHundreds of thousands of displaced families are enduring the winter cold and rain without meaningful protection\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2026 Israeli authorities\u2019 repeated denial of essential shelter materials prevents us from scaling up our response to build emergency shelters that can withstand Gaza\u2019s winter conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe woke up to water flooding our tents,\u201d said Mahmoud, a displaced Palestinian in central Gaza\u2019s Deir al-Balah city.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur children were asleep as the water reached them. Our mattresses and clothes are ruined. Now, there\u2019s nothing left, just a lake of water. I\u2019m trying to salvage what\u2019s left, but I feel abandoned. No one seems to care, neither the Arab world nor decision-makers. We\u2019ve been left on our own.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Replacement supplies have been scarce as shelter materials entering Gaza have drastically decreased in recent months.<\/p>\n

Between 1 September and 25 November, only 123 trucks carrying shelter assistance entered Gaza\u2014 an average of just ten trucks per week. Many of these trucks included items not directly related to winterisation, such as mattresses and bedding.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Notes:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n