Desperate Gaza residents need shelter as El Niño threatens: UN

Almost all of Gaza’s population need tents or help with shelter ahead of winter, with the El Niño weather phenomenon expected to bring heavier rainfall, while supplies remain scarce due to Israeli restrictions, the UN migration agency said on Friday.

The El Niño — which could be the strongest ever, according to the UN weather agency — could further weaken unsafe buildings, and cause flooding amid the enclave’s heavily damaged drainage systems, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said.

Almost 2-million people inside the enclave, largely devastated by the war launched by Israel in response to Hamas’ assault in October 2023, require assistance, but only about 17% of the needs for winter shelter supplies have been met by humanitarian actors, IOM director-general Amy Pope said.

“Families who have already endured repeated displacement and devastating loss must be able to face the winter in safety and dignity,” Pope said, adding that constraints by Israeli authorities were making it hard for agencies to scale up their responses.

About 8,600 emergency shelter kits, comprising wood, a tarpaulin and some basic materials, have not been allowed by Israeli authorities to enter Gaza, as they have been determined as dual use, the IOM said.

The migration agency said they had been able to bring in some tarpaulins and tents, but that it was not enough at the current scale needed in Gaza.

More than half of all tents and makeshift shelters in the enclave need replacing as they are in poor condition, the IOM said, warning that there were few alternatives with war-damaged buildings posing safety risks.

More than 3,600 structures were identified in August as dangerous and at risk of collapse, while around 1.8-million people were living in displacement sites — most in flood-risk areas, the IOM said.