Gaza winter leaves 1.8m without proper shelter, UN says

Nearly 1.8 million people in Gaza face a fourth winter without adequate protection from rain, flooding and cold, the International Organization for Migration said Friday.

The UN agency said virtually all of Gaza's two million people will go through winter without adequate shelter as the Palestinian territory remains under heavy Israeli war restrictions.

IOM called for international funding for humanitarian aid and for Israel to ease constraints on the entry of critical supplies. Amy Pope, the agency's director general, said shelter materials must enter Gaza “quickly, predictably and at the scale required”.

The agency said more than half of tents and makeshift shelters are in poor condition and should be replaced. It said many families have few alternatives and are living in war-damaged buildings that pose serious risks.

IOM cited the deaths of 21 people, including 12 children, when a war-damaged six-storey building collapsed in Gaza City last month.

The agency said the El Nino weather phenomenon could make this year's winter rains more intense, further weakening unsafe buildings, while heavily damaged drainage systems leave communities exposed to flooding.

Pope said current humanitarian shelter supplies would cover only 17 percent of Gaza's identified winter needs. IOM said many tents, shelter kits, wood, tools and other materials placed outside Gaza were blocked from entering, including about 8,600 IOM emergency shelter kits it said Israeli authorities continue to turn away at crossing points.

The World Health Organization warned in September that Gaza faced a new health crisis with the rainy season, including greater risk from mosquitoes and the spread of disease.

Israel has faced international criticism over conditions in Gaza and the entry of humanitarian aid. It says it is blocking items that could have military use and accuses Hamas of plotting new attacks.