NEW YORK, February 21, 2026 (WAFA) – The United Nations warned that displaced Palestinian families living in overcrowded shelters in the Gaza Strip continue to face high risks of fire, along with worsening health threats, amid an ongoing need for safer and more suitable housing solutions.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Saturday that many families are forced to cook, sleep, and store their belongings in confined spaces using open flames, recording at least 12 fire incidents in shelters since last November.

It added that within just ten days in February, humanitarian workers were able to provide shelter for 85 families in both Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis after their shelters were damaged in a fire in Gaza City.

M.N