Almost all of Gaza's population need tents or help with shelter ahead of winter, with the El Niño weather phenomenon expected to bring heavier rainfall, while supplies remain scarce due to Israeli restrictions, the UN migration agency said yesterday.
The El Niño — which could be the strongest ever, according to the UN weather agency — could further weaken unsafe buildings, and cause flooding amid the enclave’s heavily damaged drainage systems, the IOM said.
Virtually all of Gaza's 2mn population will go through winter without adequate shelter as the Palestinian territory enters a fourth year under heavy Israeli war restrictions, the UN said yesterday.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said nearly 1.8mn people in the territory "are facing a fourth winter without adequate protection from rain, flooding and cold".
More than 3,600 structures were identified in August as dangerous and at risk of collapse, while around 1.8mn people are living in displacement sites — most in flood-risk areas, the IOM said.
The UN agency called for international funding for humanitarian aid and for Israel to ease the "constraints" on the entry of critical supplies.
A ceasefire in the Gaza war was announced in October last year but conditions remain dire in Gaza, according to aid agencies.
More than half of all the tents and makeshift shelters are in poor condition and should be replaced, the IOM said.
"With few alternatives available, many families are living in war-damaged buildings that pose serious risks to life."
IOM highlighted the deaths of 21 people, including 12 children, when a war-damaged six storey building collapsed in Gaza city last month.
"Shelter materials must enter quickly, predictably and at the scale required," said Amy Pope, the IOM director general.
Pope said the current humanitarian supplies of shelters would only cover 17% of Gaza's "identified winter needs".
IOM added that many tents, shelter kits, wood, tools and other material positioned outside the Palestinian territory were blocked from entering.
"Families who have already endured repeated displacement and devastating loss must be able to face the winter in safety and dignity," Pope said, adding that constraints by Israeli authorities are making it hard for agencies to scale up their responses.
Some 8,600 emergency shelter kits, comprising wood, a tarpaulin and some basic materials, have not been allowed by Israeli authorities to enter Gaza, as they have been determined as dual use, the IOM said.
The World Health Organisation had already warned in September that Gaza faces a new health crisis with the start of the rainy season that brings an increased risk from mosquitoes and the spread of disease.
Israel has faced increased international criticism over conditions in Gaza and the entry of humanitarian aid, but has said it is preventing the entry of items that could have military use as it accuses the Hamas militant group of plotting new attacks.