Gaza Herald – Some 2.15 million Palestinians remain displaced across Gaza, with more than 800,000 living in makeshift tents that are no longer fit for human habitation, according to figures released Monday by Gaza’s Government Media Office.
The office issued an urgent appeal to address a catastrophic housing and displacement crisis, calling for the immediate entry of mobile homes, weather-resistant tents and other essential shelter supplies into the besieged Strip.
According to the figures, Gaza has 509,393 displaced families, comprising more than 2.15 million Palestinians living under extremely harsh humanitarian conditions.
Around 1.03 million displaced Palestinians are living in shelters, while approximately 1.12 million are living outside formal shelter centers. Of those outside the centers, some 867,288 Palestinians are living in primitive, severely deteriorated tents that authorities say require immediate replacement.
The Government Media Office stressed that tents were designed only as short-term emergency shelter and cannot serve as a substitute for proper housing for years. It called on the international community to use political and legal pressure to facilitate the entry of caravans, weather-resistant tents, insulation materials and other basic shelter supplies.
The appeal also called for the removal of rubble and rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure to create safer living conditions for displaced Palestinians.
Safe shelter has become an urgent necessity, particularly for children, older people, patients and people with disabilities who remain exposed to extreme weather, disease and the dangers created by the destruction surrounding them.
The scale of the displacement crisis comes after Israel’s genocide in Gaza, which Palestinian authorities say destroyed around 90% of the Strip’s civilian infrastructure. The United Nations has estimated that rebuilding Gaza could cost approximately $70 billion.
Although a ceasefire took effect in October 2025, Palestinians in Gaza have continued to face deadly attacks, displacement, destruction and severe restrictions on humanitarian access, according to Palestinian authorities.
The Government Media Office also accused Israel of failing to fulfill key obligations under the ceasefire arrangement, including facilitating the opening of crossings and allowing agreed quantities of humanitarian, food, medical and shelter supplies into Gaza.
For the millions of Palestinians still displaced, a tent is no longer an emergency solution. It has become a symbol of prolonged displacement, destruction and the absence of a safe place to return to.
