Tents Supplied to Uprooted Palestinians Found 'Inadequate for Gaza's Winter'

Thousands of shelters supplied by several nations to shelter uprooted Palestinians in Gaza deliver only limited protection against rain and gales, a report prepared by relief professionals in the ravaged territory has indicated.

Report Contradicts Statements of Adequate Shelter

The assessment will undermine claims that Palestinians in Gaza are being provided with suitable housing. Severe storms in recent weeks damaged or destroyed numerous tents, harming at least 235,000 people, per estimates from humanitarian agencies.

"The fabric [of some tents] tears readily as sewing quality is poor," the assessment stated. "It is not waterproof. Further shortcomings include inadequate windows, flimsy structure, no flooring, the canopy gathers water due to the design of the tent, and no screen for openings."

Detailed Shortcomings Noted

Shelters from specific contributing states were found lacking. Some were noted for having "non-waterproof light fabric" and a "poor structure," while others were described as "extremely thin" and failing to repel water.

However, shelters donated by different donors were assessed to have fulfilled the specifications outlined by humanitarian authorities.

Doubts Arisen Over Humanitarian Standards

This report – based on numerous inputs to a questionnaire and reports "from agencies on the ground" – will raise new questions about the quality of relief being supplied bilaterally to Gaza by specific nations.

Since the halt in hostilities, only a minority of the temporary homes that had been brought into Gaza were supplied by major international relief bodies, per one relief official.

Market Tents Also Deemed Inadequate

Residents in Gaza and relief workers said shelters available on the local market by for-profit suppliers were also unsuitable for Gaza's harsh conditions and were extremely expensive.

"Our shelter we live in is dilapidated and water floods inside," said one displaced resident. "We received it through the help of an acquaintance; it is makeshift from wood and tarpaulin. We cannot afford a new tent due to the sky-high prices, and we have not received any assistance at all."

Wider Humanitarian Background

The vast majority population of Gaza has been forced from their homes repeatedly since the war started, and extensive areas of the enclave have been reduced to rubble.

A great number in Gaza believed the ceasefire would allow them to start rebuilding their homes. Instead, the separation of the region and the continued humanitarian crisis have made this impossible. Hardly anyone have the resources to move, nearly all vital items remain lacking, and essential services are virtually nonexistent.

Moreover, relief work face being curtailed even more as many organizations that provide services in Gaza face a looming restriction under proposed requirements.

Personal Stories of Suffering

One displaced resident described living with her children in a one, unsanitary room with no windows or solid floor in the remains of an building. She recounted running from a improvised shelter after experiencing explosions near a newly established frontier within Gaza.

"We left when we heard lots of explosions," she said. "I abandoned all our clothes behind... I know residing in a destroyed building during winter is exceptionally hazardous, but we have no option."

Officials have reported that nineteen people have been killed by buildings giving way after heavy rain.

The only thing that altered with the start of the ceasefire was the cessation of the shelling; our daily lives remain almost the same, with the same hardship," said another homeless man.