Shelters Provided to Homeless Civilians Deemed 'Unsuitable for the Territory's Cold Season'

Numerous tents donated by several countries to accommodate uprooted Palestinians in Gaza provide insufficient defense against downpours and storms, a report prepared by relief professionals in the devastated enclave has shown.

Findings Challenges Assertions of Adequate Shelter

This report challenge statements that civilians in Gaza are being provided with adequate protection. Fierce bad weather in the past few weeks blew down or destroyed numerous tents, impacting at least 235,000 people, based on estimates from humanitarian agencies.

"The material [of some tents] splits readily as construction workmanship is low," it reported. "The material is not impermeable. Further shortcomings involve small windows, weak structure, no flooring, the canopy collects water due to the shape of the tent, and no mesh for openings."

Detailed Issues Noted

Shelters from specific donor countries were found lacking. Certain were described as "permeable thin fabric" and a "weak structure," while others were labeled as "extremely thin" and failing to repel water.

However, shelters supplied by different countries were assessed to have met the specifications established by expert organizations.

Concerns Prompted Over Humanitarian Quality

These conclusions – drawing from thousands of replies to a questionnaire and feedback "from agencies on the ground" – will raise new issues about the suitability of assistance being supplied bilaterally to Gaza by particular countries.

After the ceasefire, only a small portion of the shelters that had entered Gaza were distributed by major global humanitarian organizations, as stated by one relief representative.

Market Tents Likewise Found Unsuitable

Residents in Gaza and aid workers said structures offered on the open market by for-profit suppliers were likewise unsuitable for Gaza's cold season and were very expensive.

"Our shelter we live in is worn out and water seeps inside," said one uprooted woman. "We obtained it via an acquaintance; it is improvised from wood and tarpaulin. We cannot buy a new tent due to the high prices, and we have not received any aid at all."

Larger Humanitarian Background

The vast majority inhabitants of Gaza has been forced from their homes multiple times since the war started, and huge sections of the enclave have been left as rubble.

A great number in Gaza thought the lull would allow them to start rebuilding their homes. Instead, the partition of the area and the persistent basic needs crisis have rendered this out of reach. Not many have the funds to move, nearly all essential items remain in short supply, and basic services are virtually nonexistent.

Moreover, humanitarian efforts face being further restricted as several agencies that deliver services in Gaza are subject to a looming prohibition under recently enacted regulations.

Individual Accounts of Suffering

One uprooted resident detailed living with her family in a one, unsanitary room with no windows or solid floor in the ruins of an apartment block. She explained running from a temporary shelter after experiencing explosions near a recent boundary within Gaza.

"We evacuated when we heard many explosions," she said. "I was forced to leave all our clothes behind... I know staying in a ruined building during winter is extremely dangerous, but we have no alternative."

Officials have noted that nineteen people have been have died by structures giving way after heavy rain.

The only thing that transformed with the start of the ceasefire was the end of the fighting; our daily lives continue virtually the same, with the same suffering," said another displaced man.