UN warns nearly all Gaza residents need emergency shelters as El Niño threatens floods
The UN migration agency says almost the entire Gaza population requires tents or other shelter before winter, as El Niño-driven rains could cause flooding.
The International Organization for Migration reported that nearly all of Gaza's roughly two million residents require tents or other shelter solutions ahead of the winter season. So far, humanitarian actors have fulfilled only about 17% of the identified shelter needs. The upcoming El Niño phenomenon, potentially the strongest on record, is expected to bring heavy rainfall that could further destabilize unsafe buildings and flood the enclave's compromised drainage network.
Israeli authorities have prevented the entry of approximately 8,600 emergency shelter kits, deeming them dual-use items, which hampers the scaling up of aid. While some tarpaulins and tents have entered Gaza, they fall short of the scale required, and more than half of the existing makeshift shelters need replacement. Over 3,600 structures have been marked as dangerous, and many displaced families live in areas vulnerable to flooding.
Why it matters
Hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents face unsafe conditions and possible floods without adequate shelter.
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