Tents Provided to Uprooted Palestinians Found 'Inadequate for the Territory's Harsh Weather'
Thousands of temporary structures provided by multiple countries to accommodate displaced Palestinians in Gaza deliver minimal shelter against rain and storms, a report compiled by shelter experts in the ravaged territory has shown.
Findings Undermines Statements of Adequate Shelter
The assessment challenge statements that Palestinians in Gaza are being furnished with suitable shelter. Powerful winter storms in the last month blew down or destroyed a great many tents, impacting at least 235,000 people, per figures from humanitarian organizations.
"The material [of some tents] rips easily as sewing quality is low," it reported. "The material is not impermeable. Other issues comprise tiny windows, flimsy structure, no flooring, the canopy collects water due to the design of the tent, and no screen for openings."
Detailed Issues Highlighted
Donations from some contributing countries were criticised. A number of were noted for having "permeable thin fabric" and a "unstable structure," while others were described as "extremely thin" and failing to repel water.
However, shelters donated by different countries were deemed to have fulfilled the specifications outlined by humanitarian organizations.
Questions Prompted Over Aid Effectiveness
This report – based on numerous replies to a survey and observations "from agencies on the ground" – prompt new questions about the standard of assistance being supplied bilaterally to Gaza by specific states.
Following the ceasefire, only a minority of the tents that had been brought into Gaza were provided by large multilateral humanitarian agencies, per one humanitarian official.
Market Tents Also Found Inadequate
Residents in Gaza and humanitarian officials said tents sold on the local market by for-profit vendors were also insufficient for Gaza's winter and were prohibitively expensive.
"The structure we live in is worn out and rainwater leaks inside," said one uprooted resident. "We received it through the help of someone; it is improvised from wood and tarpaulin. We cannot buy a new tent due to the sky-high prices, and we have not received any assistance at all."
Wider Crisis Situation
Virtually the entire residents of Gaza has been displaced multiple times since the conflict erupted, and extensive areas of the enclave have been transformed into rubble.
Many in Gaza thought the lull would allow them to start reconstructing their homes. Instead, the partition of the territory and the ongoing relief crisis have made this unfeasible. Hardly anyone have the means to move, nearly all vital items remain scarce, and basic services are almost nonexistent.
Moreover, humanitarian work face being further restricted as a number of agencies that deliver services in Gaza are subject to a potential restriction under new laws.
Personal Stories of Suffering
One displaced woman spoke of living with her loved ones in a single, rat-infested room with no windows or finished floor in the ruins of an complex. She recounted fleeing a improvised shelter after hearing explosions near a newly established frontier within Gaza.
"We left when we heard numerous explosions," she said. "I left all our possessions behind... I know residing in a damaged building during winter is exceptionally dangerous, but we have no alternative."
Officials have stated that nineteen people have been killed by buildings giving way after heavy rain.
The only thing that altered with the start of the truce was the silence of the fighting; our day-to-day reality continue virtually the same, with the same deprivation," said another homeless resident.
