Gaza Herald – The United Nations warned Saturday that displaced Palestinian families living in overcrowded camps across Gaza faced escalating risks of deadly fires, in addition to mounting health threats.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said many families were forced to cook, sleep, and store their belongings in extremely confined shelters where open flames were routinely used, creating hazardous and unstable living conditions.
OCHA documented at least 12 fire incidents inside displacement shelters since November, highlighting the persistent danger inside makeshift encampments. The agency stressed that the absence of safe infrastructure, combined with overcrowding and a lack of basic materials, significantly increased the likelihood of further disasters.
Within the first ten days of February alone, humanitarian teams provided emergency shelter to 85 families in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis after a fire in Gaza City destroyed their temporary housing. Aid officials warned that without immediate access to safer and more adequate housing solutions, displaced civilians would remain vulnerable to preventable tragedies layered atop an already severe humanitarian crisis.
