Shelters Donated to Homeless Palestinians Found 'Inadequate for the Territory's Winter'

Numerous temporary structures donated by several nations to accommodate homeless civilians in Gaza provide insufficient protection against precipitation and wind, an evaluation compiled by relief specialists in the devastated region has indicated.

Report Undermines Assertions of Proper Shelter

This report will undermine statements that Palestinians in Gaza are being supplied with sufficient protection. Fierce winter storms in the last month toppled or weakened thousands of shelters, harming at least 235,000 people, according to estimates from humanitarian bodies.

"The cloth [of some tents] tears without much force as construction quality is poor," the assessment stated. "The material is not waterproof. Further shortcomings include tiny windows, flimsy structure, no flooring, the canopy collects water due to the design of the tent, and no netting for openings."

Detailed Issues Identified

Donations from certain donor countries were deemed inadequate. Certain were described as "leaky thin fabric" and a "poor structure," while others were labeled as "very light" and failing to repel water.

In contrast, tents donated by different countries were assessed to have fulfilled the requirements outlined by international authorities.

Questions Raised Over Humanitarian Effectiveness

This report – informed by thousands of inputs to a survey and observations "from workers on the ground" – prompt new questions about the quality of relief being supplied directly to Gaza by individual countries.

After the halt in hostilities, only a fraction of the shelters that had reached Gaza were supplied by major international relief bodies, per one humanitarian representative.

Market Tents Also Deemed Inadequate

Civilians in Gaza and aid workers said structures sold on the open market by for-profit suppliers were likewise unsuitable for Gaza's winter and were prohibitively costly.

"The structure we live in is worn out and rainwater leaks inside," said one uprooted resident. "It was given to us from someone; it is makeshift from wood and tarpaulin. We cannot buy a new tent due to the high prices, and we have not received any assistance at all."

Larger Crisis Situation

Almost all residents of Gaza has been forced from their homes multiple times since the conflict began, and large swathes of the region have been reduced to rubble.

Many in Gaza believed the truce would allow them to start repairing their homes. On the contrary, the separation of the territory and the continued humanitarian crisis have rendered this unfeasible. Not many have the resources to move, nearly all vital items remain scarce, and essential services are almost absent.

Furthermore, aid efforts may be curtailed even more as many NGOs that conduct services in Gaza are subject to a possible prohibition under recently enacted requirements.

Individual Accounts of Hardship

One displaced woman spoke of living with her children in a solitary, unsanitary room with no windows or proper floor in the remains of an apartment block. She recounted running from a temporary shelter after hearing explosions near a recent dividing line within Gaza.

"We fled when we heard lots of explosions," she said. "I left all our possessions behind... I know staying in a damaged building during winter is extremely hazardous, but we have no option."

Authorities have reported that 19 people have been killed by buildings falling down after heavy rain.

The only thing that altered with the start of the ceasefire was the cessation of the bombardment; our day-to-day reality stay virtually the same, with the same hardship," said another uprooted Palestinian.