DaysofPal – The Gaza Center for Human Rights has issued an urgent appeal for the provision of shelter materials, blankets, and winter clothing to hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians living in worn-out tents across the Gaza Strip.
In a statement released Monday, the center said that nearly two million people in Gaza are enduring a deepening humanitarian catastrophe as winter approaches, with no safe housing, a shortage of tents, and an acute lack of blankets and warm clothes.
According to the organization, tens of thousands of families remain in tattered tents that offer no protection from the cold nights or seasonal rains. The ongoing blockade and closure of crossings, it said, continue to prevent the entry of essential humanitarian supplies, despite a month having passed since the ceasefire began.
Mohammad Khairi, the center’s operations coordinator and spokesperson, described the situation as “unprecedentedly harsh,” particularly in the southern and coastal areas hosting hundreds of thousands of displaced people.
“Families are exposed to the cold and rain with no heating materials or drainage systems,” Khairi said. “The camps risk becoming flooded and disease-prone zones.”
The center noted that only 23 percent of winter shelter needs have been met, leaving nearly 945,000 people without adequate protection. United Nations estimates, it added, indicate that 1.5 million people are at risk from cold and rain due to the delayed entry of shelter supplies, while 74 percent of existing tents are uninhabitable because of deterioration and poor quality.
One displaced resident, Mohammad Hassan al-Arja, who lives on Gaza’s coast, said, “People are terrified of the coming winter. We desperately need new tents, clothing, and blankets. The current tents are falling apart, there’s no heating, and there’s not enough food.”
The rights group emphasized that these dire conditions persist while Israeli forces maintain control over more than half of Gaza’s territory, restricting civilian movement and blocking humanitarian access to safer areas.
It stressed that tents no longer meet even the minimum standard of human safety, urging the use of caravans (portable housing units) as a more durable and weather-resistant solution. The center called for an immediate reconstruction and emergency housing plan to protect hundreds of thousands left homeless.
The statement appealed for the immediate reopening of all border crossings and the entry of essential winter relief materials, including caravans, tents, blankets, clothing, flooring, and insulation supplies.
It also called for fair and rapid distribution of aid, prioritizing the most vulnerable groups, children, the elderly, the sick, and persons with disabilities, and urged international and regional donors to step up funding to close the growing shelter gap before temperatures drop further.
The Gaza Center for Human Rights concluded that addressing this looming disaster requires urgent, coordinated action beyond mere statements or promises.
“Winter in Gaza is not only about cold weather,” it said, “it’s a life-or-death struggle for hundreds of thousands without shelter or protection. Safeguarding their lives and dignity is a shared responsibility of the international community, humanitarian organizations, and local authorities alike.”
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