Tents Provided to Displaced Residents Deemed 'Unsuitable for Gaza's Winter'

Thousands of shelters provided by a number of states to house uprooted residents in Gaza provide insufficient protection from rain and wind, a report prepared by relief experts in the ravaged territory has revealed.

Findings Undermines Assertions of Sufficient Protection

This report challenge assertions that Palestinians in Gaza are being furnished with adequate protection. Powerful winter storms in recent weeks damaged or destroyed thousands of shelters, affecting at least 235,000 people, per data from relief agencies.

"The cloth [of some tents] rips readily as stitching standards is poor," it reported. "The fabric is not impermeable. Additional problems involve inadequate windows, unstable structure, no flooring, the canopy accumulates water due to the shape of the tent, and no mesh for openings."

Specific Criticisms Noted

Donations from specific donor nations were deemed inadequate. A number of were noted for having "non-waterproof flimsy fabric" and a "poor structure," while others were labeled as "extremely thin" and not waterproof.

However, tents supplied by different donors were judged to have satisfied the standards outlined by humanitarian agencies.

Doubts Arisen Over Aid Quality

The findings – drawing from thousands of responses to a questionnaire and observations "from agencies on the ground" – will raise new concerns about the suitability of relief being delivered outside UN channels to Gaza by particular nations.

Since the halt in hostilities, only a small portion of the shelters that had entered Gaza were provided by large multilateral humanitarian agencies, as stated by one relief representative.

Market Tents Also Deemed Inadequate

Palestinians in Gaza and relief officials said tents available on the commercial market by for-profit contractors were similarly unsuitable for Gaza's harsh conditions and were prohibitively costly.

"The structure we live in is falling apart and water leaks inside," said one displaced resident. "We received it via a contact; it is handmade from wood and tarpaulin. We cannot purchase a new tent due to the exorbitant prices, and we have not received any assistance at all."

Wider Crisis Context

Almost all population of Gaza has been uprooted many times since the conflict erupted, and huge sections of the territory have been left as rubble.

A great number in Gaza believed the truce would allow them to start rebuilding their homes. On the contrary, the partition of the area and the persistent relief crisis have made this out of reach. Not many have the means to move, nearly all essential items remain lacking, and fundamental services are virtually absent.

Moreover, humanitarian efforts face being increasingly limited as several NGOs that deliver services in Gaza confront a looming restriction under new requirements.

Individual Accounts of Struggle

A uprooted resident detailed living with her children in a single, vermin-ridden room with no windows or finished floor in the remains of an building. She stated fleeing a temporary shelter after hearing explosions near a recent frontier within Gaza.

"We fled when we heard numerous explosions," she said. "I left all our clothes behind... I know living in a ruined building during the cold months is extremely risky, but we have no alternative."

Officials have noted that several people have been killed by buildings giving way after heavy rain.

The sole aspect that changed with the start of the truce was the silence of the fighting; our everyday existence continue largely the same, with the same hardship," summarized another displaced resident.