The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that over one million people in the Gaza Strip remain in need of urgent shelter assistance, due to recent rainstorms that affected 65,000 families.
The UN office noted that rainwater flooded entire displacement sites due to inadequate sewage systems and low-lying land, emphasizing that relief workers provided support in December to about 80,000 families, with over 40,000 tents, more than 135,000 plastic covers, in addition to distributing nearly 115,000 other pieces of supplies, including blankets.
Humanitarian partners stressed that “tents cannot be the primary and only option for shelter in Gaza, because they provide only temporary protection,” confirming the necessity of a rapid transition toward more sustainable solutions including repairing damaged homes, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The UN agency warned of the unavailability of sufficient land for people seeking to move to areas less vulnerable to flooding.
The OCHA drew attention to the fact that the recent winter storms also caused damage to temporary learning spaces and roads used by relief workers to bring much-needed supplies into the Gaza Strip.
