In a statement, OCHA specified that some 65,000 families were affected by severe winter storms in December in the Gaza Strip, already devastated by Israeli forces.

“Tents were blown away or damaged, homes collapsed, and personal belongings were soaked. In several places, entire displacement sites were flooded due to inadequate drainage and low-lying terrain,” the agency stated.

It also reported that temporary learning spaces and roads used to deliver supplies were affected. According to OCHA, during the past month, aid teams assisted approximately 80,000 families and distributed more than 40,000 tents; however, it noted that these tents “cannot serve as the primary or sole form of shelter, as they only provide temporary coverage.”

For this reason, it considered it essential to move towards more durable solutions such as the repair of partially damaged homes.

It also warned that “the lack of available land is hindering relocation and delaying the expansion of viable shelter solutions.”

abo/arm/mem/gas