RAMALLAH, January 5, 2026 (WAFA) – The Government Operations Room for Emergency Interventions in the Gaza Strip, in partnership with the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, have launched the “#RightToShelterGaza” campaign. The effort comes amidst the worsening suffering of hundreds of thousands of displaced people, who are living in poorly equipped tents that provide no protection from cold and rain. The campaign calls on the international community to pressure the Israeli occupation to allow the immediate entry of prefabricated housing units as an urgent humanitarian solution.
The Government Operations Room and the Ministry of Public Works and Housing affirmed that the recent weather depressions have clearly exposed the failure of tents to provide adequate protection for displaced people, as thousands of tents were flooded or blown away by heavy rainfall and strong winds. This has placed the lives of children and older people at direct risk amid the absence of safe heating methods. They further noted that more than 53,000 tents for displaced families were damaged during the recent weather depressions across various areas of the Gaza Strip, exacerbating the suffering of displaced households and expanding urgent humanitarian needs.
The launch of the campaign comes amid deeply alarming humanitarian figures. Approximately two million people are currently displaced in the Gaza Strip, including nearly one million children, most of whom are living in harsh conditions inside inadequately equipped tents. Data indicate that, prior to the aggression, the number of persons with disabilities in Gaza stood at approximately 55,000.
In addition, a report issued by the World Health Organization in September 2025 estimated that around 42,000 people sustained severe, life-altering injuries requiring long-term rehabilitation. This brings the total number of persons with disabilities and those affected by serious injuries to around 97,000 people. Many of whom are currently living in tents that lack basic safety standards and fail to accommodate their specific needs, further compounding their suffering and undermining their dignity.
Data from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics also indicate that there are approximately 60,000 pregnant women in the Gaza Strip. The majority face acute shelter shortages and are living in inadequate tents that provide neither protection from the cold nor the necessary privacy, significantly increasing the health and humanitarian risks they face amid extremely harsh living conditions.
According to data from the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, Israeli aggression has destroyed Gaza’s housing sector. Approximately 90% of civilian infrastructure has been destroyed, with more than 355,000 housing units damaged to varying degrees, including around 295,000 units that were either completely destroyed or rendered uninhabitable. This widespread destruction has significantly exacerbated displacement and deepened the shelter crisis.
The Government Operations Room is saying that humanitarian organizations and relevant authorities are unable to fully meet urgent shelter needs, due to shortages of shelter materials; and due to severe lack of fuel which hampers the operation of heavy machinery required to open roads, remove rubble, and drain rainwater. The Israeli occupation continues to prevent the entry of prefabricated housing units into Gaza, allowing only small quantities of tents, further increasing the vulnerability of displaced people and placing their lives at risk.
The Ministry of Public Works and Housing has indicated that prefabricated housing units are the most appropriate option for temporary shelter, given the prolonged reconstruction timeline and ongoing harsh weather conditions. Gaza needs 200,000 prefabricated housing units as an urgent humanitarian measure. However, Israel does not allow the entry of the needed housing units, which compels the humanitarian actors to rely on tents as a temporary and unsafe alternative. Prefabricated housing units are a necessary interim solution during this exceptional phase, and are not a permanent substitute for housing, pending the start of reconstruction.
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), tents are suitable only for immediate emergency response during the initial phase of displacement and are not appropriate for winter shelter, as they cannot withstand rain and wind and are difficult to heat.
According to the Government Operations Room, the “#RightToShelterGaza” campaign seeks to generate media and political pressure, underscore that safe shelter is an urgent human right that cannot be delayed; and that the obstruction of prefabricated housing units puts the lives of hundreds of thousands of people at risk, particularly children and the elderly.
The “#RightToShelterGaza” campaign calls on the United Nations, international institutions, and states party to the Geneva Conventions to uphold their legal and humanitarian responsibilities, to urgently pressure the Israeli occupation, and to allow the immediate entry of prefabricated housing units into the Gaza Strip as an emergency humanitarian solution to provide safe shelter, protect lives, and ensure a minimum standard of human dignity amid harsh weather conditions and the displacement crisis.
Y.S
