Temporary Housing Supplied to Homeless Palestinians Found 'Unsuitable for Gaza's Cold Season'

Thousands of temporary structures donated by a number of countries to accommodate displaced residents in Gaza offer insufficient shelter against downpours and storms, an assessment compiled by housing specialists in the devastated territory has shown.

Report Undermines Assertions of Adequate Housing

The assessment contradict assertions that civilians in Gaza are being furnished with sufficient housing. Powerful storms in the past few weeks toppled or damaged numerous tents, affecting at least 235,000 people, per figures from humanitarian organizations.

"The fabric [of some tents] splits without much force as construction workmanship is low," the findings noted. "It is not impermeable. Additional problems include small windows, flimsy structure, no flooring, the top gathers water due to the design of the tent, and no mesh for openings."

Country-by-Country Shortcomings Highlighted

Tents from specific donor states were criticised. Some were described as "non-waterproof thin fabric" and a "weak structure," while others were labeled as "extremely thin" and not waterproof.

Conversely, structures supplied by other countries were assessed to have fulfilled the standards outlined by international agencies.

Doubts Raised Over Humanitarian Effectiveness

This report – informed by extensive inputs to a survey and feedback "from workers on the ground" – will raise new concerns about the standard of relief being sent outside UN channels to Gaza by particular nations.

Following the halt in hostilities, only a minority of the shelters that had reached Gaza were provided by major global relief agencies, according to one humanitarian source.

Market Shelters Also Found Inadequate

Palestinians in Gaza and humanitarian representatives said structures offered on the local market by for-profit contractors were also unsuitable for Gaza's cold season and were prohibitively high-priced.

"The structure we live in is dilapidated and water seeps inside," said one displaced resident. "We obtained it from 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."

Wider Crisis Background

The vast majority inhabitants of Gaza has been uprooted repeatedly since the war began, and large swathes of the territory have been reduced to rubble.

Numerous people in Gaza had hoped the truce would allow them to start rebuilding their homes. On the contrary, the division of the region and the ongoing relief crisis have proven this out of reach. Few have the means to move, the majority of vital items remain scarce, and basic services are almost nonexistent.

Furthermore, aid efforts face being increasingly limited as a number of NGOs that deliver services in Gaza confront a potential ban under new requirements.

Individual Accounts of Hardship

A displaced woman spoke of living with her family in a solitary, vermin-ridden room with no windows or solid floor in the remains of an building. She stated escaping a temporary shelter after experiencing explosions near a contested boundary within Gaza.

"We fled when we heard lots of explosions," she said. "I abandoned all our belongings behind... I know residing in a ruined building during winter is incredibly dangerous, but we have no alternative."

Sources have stated that nineteen people have been killed by shelters giving way after heavy rain.

The single change that altered with the start of the truce was the cessation of the bombardment; our everyday existence continue largely the same, with the same suffering," said another homeless man.