IOM Warns Gaza Shelter Crisis as Winter Rains Begin

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that between 1.8 million and 1.9 million people in the Gaza Strip face a severe shelter crisis as winter rains begin. Current supplies cover only 17% of winter needs, leaving displaced families in tattered tents and damaged buildings. Many Palestinians have been displaced up to eight times, a process that has repeatedly destroyed makeshift shelters.

Efforts to establish durable transitional housing are blocked by the Cabinet of Israel, which enforces dual-use security restrictions on materials such as cement and roofing sheets. These restrictions force a reliance on temporary tents that typically last only six months. The crisis is compounded by funding shortages and disrupted shipping routes from China, India, and Pakistan.

With the population crowded into only 30% of the enclave, many reside in flood-prone areas. In Khan Younis, families are salvaging metal rods from rubble to reinforce tents, while others fill former World Food Programme flour sacks with sand to create flood barriers. Simultaneously, the United Nations is working to evacuate residents from over 4,000 buildings at risk of collapse, though many displaced people have no viable alternative shelter.