Ninety-four per cent of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents need shelter as Israeli gunfire and strikes continue inside the enclave, UN agencies and peacekeepers warned yesterday.
More than four out of five families currently face critical or catastrophic living conditions, which lack fuel, energy and essential household items, according to UN agencies and partners.
“These constraints affect people’s ability to sleep, their ability to cook, their ability to wash, their ability to store food and water, maintain adequate lighting, and cope with heat and cold,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.
Nearly two-thirds of families live in tents or makeshift shelters that rapidly deteriorate in harsh weather, as they are designed only for short-term use, according to the UN aid co-ordination office (OHCA).
“We continue to face obstacles in bringing the level of more structured shelter into Gaza,” Dujarric said, noting that last winter, more than 70 per cent of families experienced flooding.
“Ahead of the cold and rainy season, our humanitarian partners are working to ensure adequate shelter for families.”
Obstacles to aid delivery include funding shortfalls and Israeli restrictions on the entry of materials and equipment, with UN partners estimating that $562 million is needed to improve living conditions.
OCHA continued to receive reports of Palestinian civilians in Gaza being killed, injured or otherwise being impacted by Israeli air strikes, shelling and gunfire, including children.
“Civilians should never be targeted or used for military purposes,” he said.
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