Gaza Herald — Around 800,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are living in deteriorating tents and urgently need replacement shelters as winter approaches, Mohammed Saleh, general coordinator of the Palestinian NGO Network in Gaza, warned Saturday.
Saleh said Gaza’s humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate as severe Israeli restrictions limit the entry of desperately needed aid.
Saleh said agreements provide for the entry of 600 trucks per day, while Gaza currently needs between 800 and 1,000 trucks daily to meet the population’s needs.
However, he said only 200 to 260 trucks are currently entering Gaza each day, meeting roughly 30% of actual needs. Of those entering, around 60% are commercial trucks, leaving humanitarian aid to account for only 40%, according to Saleh.
He warned that Gaza could face famine if humanitarian supplies remain insufficient, noting that around 90% of the population depends primarily on humanitarian assistance while unemployment exceeds 85%.
Saleh also warned of worsening shelter conditions as families continue to live in tents or makeshift camps, including in streets and areas near sewage, exposing them to serious health risks.
The water crisis is also worsening, he said, as restrictions on the entry of oils and spare parts needed for generators have forced some water wells out of operation, particularly in northern and eastern Gaza. Some large families are receiving only 60 to 80 litres of water per day through water trucks.
Education has also been severely disrupted. According to Saleh, fewer than 40% of Gaza’s children currently receive educational services, leaving around 60% without access to education.
He stressed that UNRWA remains essential to Gaza’s recovery and warned against dismantling the agency. Without serious efforts to rebuild schools and restore formal education, he said, Gaza’s children could face increasingly catastrophic educational consequences in the coming years.
