Nearly 94% of Gaza’s population, about 1.9 million people of the enclave’s 2.1 million inhabitants, urgently need shelter and basic survival items amid Israel’s continued military occupation.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that the continuous deterioration of living conditions in the territory coincides with constant reports of deaths and injuries of Palestinian civilians, including children, as a result of airstrikes, bombings, and gunfire by Israeli occupation forces who continue to violate their obligations under ceasefire agreements.
The military control exercised by Israeli forces over Gaza’s borders, territorial waters, and airspace drastically limits the passage of goods, medical supplies, fuel, and humanitarian aid.
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Humanitarian partners’ assessments in the housing sector confirm that more than four out of five families in the Strip face “critical or catastrophic” living conditions, including persistent shortages of fuel, electricity, and household goods that prevent residents from sleeping, cooking, washing, lighting their spaces, or preserving water and food amid extreme temperatures.
Two out of three families survive in tents or temporary shelters that deteriorate rapidly due to weather conditions, having been designed for short-term use. This situation persists because efforts to bring in more durable housing units remain blocked by the occupation, generating maximum alarm with the imminent arrival of cold and rains, a scenario that last winter already affected more than 70% of households in Gaza.
REPORT | An estimated 1.98 million Palestinians in Gaza, or 94% of the population, need shelter and basic household assistance, according to a new report by the UN Shelter Cluster, led by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) as humanitarians say Israel continues to block… https://t.co/ycyg0X5W8O
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UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric reiterated the international community’s call to guarantee the protection of the population and civilian infrastructure, emphasizing that “civilians must never be targets of attacks nor used for military purposes.” Dujarric recalled the mass funeral held on August 20 for 50 Palestinians, including 19 children and adolescents, who died in Israeli bombings against the Strip during the escalation that began in October 2023 and whose remains were found under the rubble of their homes in recent search operations.
Rescue and rubble removal efforts face severe operational limitations due to Israeli restrictions on access to wide areas and the entry of heavy machinery, spare parts, and lubricants.
Funds and Plague Crisis
To address this emergency response, 562 million dollars are required, of which 165 million are destined immediately to the most vulnerable cases. However, the UN confirmed that only a little over 25% of the funds has been raised so far.
Alongside the housing crisis, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced the expansion of its pest control plans with humanitarian partners, covering since May more than 3,000 sites of displaced people, markets, and health centers throughout the Gaza Strip. Field teams emphasized the urgent need to guarantee a constant flow of supplies to combat severe rat and rodent infestations, another consequence of the prolonged blockade that prevents environmental equipment and materials from entering the enclave.
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) August 20, 2026
The convergence of the shelter emergency, the funding gap, and the proliferation of pests illustrates the multidimensional character of the catastrophe imposed on the Palestinian population of Gaza, whose survival conditions continue to deteriorate while the occupation maintains its stranglehold on the territory.
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