Baghdad: One Million People in Gaza in Urgent Need of Shelter Assistance: The Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General reported that “nearly one million people, equivalent to half the population of the Gaza Strip, remain in urgent need of shelter assistance.”

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the office explained that “shelter needs persist despite humanitarian efforts undertaken since the ceasefire, which have included the distribution of thousands of tents, hundreds of thousands of plastic sheeting, and other materials across the Gaza Strip.”

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) noted that humanitarian workers continue to provide support to the most vulnerable families in Gaza. These efforts are taking place amidst harsh winter conditions that have forced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to live in makeshift tents, many of which have been damaged by heavy rains, winds, and sea waves.

The spokesperson’s office highlighted that “UN partners working in the water, sanitation, and hygiene sectors are facing significant challenges in solid waste management.” These challenges arise from the widening gap between the amount of waste collected and the amount accumulating, due to inaccessibility to landfills, damaged infrastructure, and a severe fuel shortage.