Shelters Supplied to Uprooted Civilians Considered 'Inadequate for the Territory's Cold Season'

Thousands of temporary structures supplied by several nations to shelter uprooted civilians in Gaza provide insufficient protection against precipitation and gales, an evaluation compiled by housing professionals in the ravaged enclave has revealed.

Report Contradicts Claims of Sufficient Housing

The findings will undermine assertions that civilians in Gaza are being supplied with sufficient housing. Powerful winter storms in recent weeks blew down or damaged a great many tents, harming at least 235,000 people, according to figures from relief agencies.

"The material [of some tents] tears readily as stitching standards is low," the findings noted. "The fabric is not impermeable. Further shortcomings involve inadequate windows, flimsy structure, no flooring, the top collects water due to the design of the tent, and no screen for openings."

Detailed Issues Noted

Tents from specific donor states were deemed inadequate. A number of were noted for having "non-waterproof light fabric" and a "poor structure," while others were described as "insubstantial" and failing to repel water.

Conversely, shelters donated by different nations were deemed to have met the specifications set by expert agencies.

Doubts Prompted Over Humanitarian Effectiveness

These conclusions – based on numerous replies to a questionnaire and reports "from agencies on the ground" – prompt new questions about the suitability of relief being supplied bilaterally to Gaza by particular nations.

After the truce, only a minority of the shelters that had reached Gaza were provided by large multilateral aid agencies, according to one humanitarian representative.

Market Tents Likewise Found Unsuitable

Residents in Gaza and aid representatives said structures offered on the open market by commercial suppliers were also unsuitable for Gaza's cold season and were extremely high-priced.

"The structure we live in is worn out and rainwater seeps inside," said one homeless mother. "It was given to us through the help of someone; it is handmade from wood and tarpaulin. We cannot purchase a new tent due to the high prices, and we have not received any aid at all."

Broader Relief Situation

Virtually the entire residents of Gaza has been displaced many times since the conflict began, and huge sections of the enclave have been left as rubble.

Numerous people in Gaza thought the truce would allow them to start repairing their homes. On the contrary, the separation of the territory and the ongoing basic needs crisis have rendered this impossible. Hardly anyone have the means to move, the majority of basic items remain scarce, and essential services are practically absent.

Moreover, humanitarian efforts face being further restricted as a number of organizations that provide services in Gaza are subject to a looming prohibition under recently enacted regulations.

Personal Stories of Suffering

A uprooted resident spoke of living with her family in a single, vermin-ridden room with no windows or proper floor in the remains of an apartment block. She explained fleeing a makeshift shelter after hearing explosions near a newly established frontier within Gaza.

"We fled when we heard numerous explosions," she said. "I abandoned all our possessions behind... I know staying in a destroyed building during the cold months is incredibly risky, but we have no option."

Officials have reported that several people have been killed by structures falling down after torrential rain.

The single change that changed with the start of the ceasefire was the end of the fighting; our day-to-day reality remain largely the same, with the same hardship," said another displaced man.