Middle East: 94 per cent need shelter in Gaza, Israel ramps up demolitions in Lebanon

This article is published in association with United Nations.

Ninety-four cent of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents need shelter as Israeli gunfire and strikes continue inside the enclave, UN agencies and peacekeepers warned on Thursday.

Key points

• Israeli restrictions continue to impede essential aid deliveries and services, from shelter-building to waste collection
• Burials have finally taken place for 50 Palestinians who died two years ago after their bodies were recovered from the rubble
• More than 3,000 high-risk areas have been reached by pest control teams
• Israeli airstrikes and demolitions continue in Lebanon

More than four out of five families currently face critical or catastrophic living conditions, which lack fuel, energy and essential household items, according to UN agencies and partners.

“These constraints affect people’s ability to sleep, their ability to cook, their ability to wash, their ability to store food and water, maintain adequate lighting, and cope with heat and cold,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.

Nearly two-thirds of families live in tents or makeshift shelters that rapidly deteriorate in harsh weather, as they are designed only for short-term use, according to the UN aid coordination office (OHCA).

Israel restricts building materials

“We continue to face obstacles in bringing the level of more structured shelter into Gaza,” Mr. Dujarric said, noting that last winter, more than 70 per cent of families experienced flooding.

“Ahead of the cold and rainy season, our humanitarian partners are working to ensure adequate shelter for families.”     

Obstacles to aid delivery include funding shortfalls and Israeli restrictions on the entry of materials and equipment, with UN partners estimating that $562 million is needed to improve living conditions.

Burials amid deadly Israeli attacks

OCHA continued to receive reports of Palestinian civilians in Gaza being killed, injured or otherwise being impacted by Israeli air strikes, shelling and gunfire, including children. 

“Civilians should never be targeted or used for military purposes,” he said

On Thursday, the bodies of 50 people, including 19 children, who were killed over two years ago, were laid to rest after being recovered from under the rubble in Gaza over the past days.

“Efforts to remove rubble and retrieve bodies in Gaza remain limited by restrictions on the entry of heavy machinery, spare parts, lubricants and other critical supplies as well as by restrictions on access to vast areas within the Gaza Strip,” Mr. Dujarric said.

Given the continued infestation of rodents amid unsanitary conditions across the rubble-strewn Strip, fresh pest control efforts are making progress, according to the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

Since May, pest control activities expanded to reach more than 3,250 high-risk sites, including displacement sites, markets and hospitals.

Israeli violations in Lebanon

The UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, reported observing from Monday to Wednesday 86 airspace violations, nine airstrikes and 265 projectiles launched by Israeli forces as well as nearly 30 instances of drone activity, including reconnaissance sorties, kinetic strikes and suicide drones.

Demolitions and destruction of infrastructure by Israeli forces has also continued, along with restrictions on freedom of movement. There have been seven incidents recorded so far this week: most involved Israeli forces, resulting in patrols, convoys or humanitarian movements being delayed, rerouted or required to turn back.

What’s the UN doing?

Here’s a snapshot of some ongoing efforts in Lebanon and the Occupied Palestinian Territory:

• In Gaza, the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, is opening a new temporary learning space
• In southern Lebanon, UNRWA is distributing food parcels to people in refugee camps, helping to address growing food insecurity where access to food has become increasingly limited and costly
• The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reaches vulnerable families with essential assistance in Gaza and in the West Bank, supports educational spaces and helped install solar energy systems in 16 primary healthcare centres, contributing to the continuity of essential services
• The World Food Programme (WFP) reaches around 1.5 million people in Gaza with food parcels, wheat flour, bread, hot meals, healthy school snacks, nutrition services and cash, including support for children in temporary learning spaces
• In Gaza, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has published new guidelines for removing and recycling debris to re-open and repave roads, prepare shelter sites and restore access to such critical facilities as hospitals and humanitarian service points

Find out more about UN efforts here.