Since the October 10 ceasefire, the United Nations migration agency IOM has sent over 47,000 relief items, including 2,500 tents, to assist families in rebuilding amid the devastation.
“The people of Gaza have suffered unimaginable losses,” stated Amy Pope, IOM Director General.
A shelter “not a luxury”
“Shelter is not a luxury; it enables families to rest, stay warm, and start rebuilding their lives. Every person deserves to live in safety and dignity, and humanitarian aid must reach everyone, everywhere.”
Shelter needs are immense, with approximately 90 percent of the population displaced and at least 1.5 million people in urgent need of emergency shelter assistance.
“Many people are returning to find their homes reduced to rubble,” Ms. Pope added, cautioning that recovery “cannot begin without safe housing.”
Despite the ceasefire, customs delays, insecurity, and limited crossings continue to obstruct aid delivery. IOM has prepositioned millions of relief items in neighboring Jordan, including an additional 28,000 tents and over four million winter relief items, ready for rapid deployment once access improves.
A million meals a day
At UN headquarters in New York, deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq announced the UN and its partners were ramping up food, nutrition, and water services as part of the UN’s 60-day response plan.
“Our partners now distribute over a million hot meals daily across the Strip,” he said, noting that six UN-supported bakeries have resumed bread production.
More than 150 nutrition sites are operational across Gaza, supported by 20 mobile health and nutrition teams, doubling the number compared to before the ceasefire. “This week alone, partners delivered enough therapeutic food to treat 1,200 children suffering from acute malnutrition,” noted Mr. Haq.
Support for water and sanitation is also increasing, with the distribution of hundreds of thousands of diapers, jerry cans, and hygiene kits, and the installation of 140 new water tanks to expand community access points.
Limited crossing points
Aid continues to arrive through the two operational crossing points, Kerem Shalom and Kissufim. On Wednesday alone, 127 UN-coordinated trucks were prepared for distribution inside Gaza, carrying food, tents, medical supplies, and fuel.
Mr. Haq emphasized that “we can and must do more,” urging Israel to open additional crossing points, particularly to the north, and to facilitate NGO access.
“We need full, safe, and unrestricted humanitarian access,” he said. “The needs are immense – and they are growing every day.”
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