By Abdullahi Lukman
Nearly two million people in Gaza require emergency shelter assistance as heavy rains and an approaching El Niño threaten to worsen conditions for displaced families ahead of winter, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has warned.
The agency said funding shortages, disrupted supply routes and restrictions on durable construction materials were hindering efforts to provide adequate shelter to the population, with available supplies unlikely to meet growing needs.
Karl Baker, IOM’s regional crisis coordinator for Gaza, said an estimated 1.8 million to 1.9 million people needed some form of shelter assistance, while preparations for winter had been delayed by late-arriving and insufficient funding.
He added that the escalating regional conflict was disrupting international shipping routes used to transport relief supplies from countries including China, India and Pakistan through Jordan, Egypt and Israel into Gaza.
In many displacement sites, residents are improvising ways to protect themselves from flooding. One displaced man told UN News that flour sacks previously used to obtain food aid were now being filled with sand to prevent rainwater from entering makeshift shelters.
In Khan Younis, southern Gaza, Mohammed Barhoum and his sons have been salvaging metal rods from rubble to reinforce their tent after being displaced from Rafah.
The family hopes the improvised structure will withstand the heavy rainfall that regularly floods the area during winter.
However, the use of damaged building materials poses additional risks because of unstable debris and the possible presence of unexploded ordnance.
The shelter crisis is further compounded by the deteriorating condition of residential buildings.
More than 4,000 structures are reportedly at risk of collapse, leaving many families facing the difficult choice between remaining in potentially unsafe homes or moving into overcrowded tents.
Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN acting Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said the organisation was working with local communities to evacuate residents from dangerous buildings, although alternative accommodation remained limited.
According to Baker, only about 30 per cent of Gaza is accessible to most people, while conditions at displacement sites continue to deteriorate, with many exposed to flooding and few alternative places to seek refuge.
He also raised concerns about the quality of available tents, which typically last around six months and are frequently damaged or abandoned when families are forced to flee repeatedly. He called for more durable shelter materials and improved temporary housing solutions.
However, many materials that could strengthen shelters, including roofing sheets, cement and components for reinforced walls, are subject to Israeli restrictions on items classified as having potential military and civilian uses.
Baker said the IOM was in regular contact with Israeli authorities to facilitate the entry of these supplies, stressing the need for more durable materials to protect displaced families from harsh winter conditions.
