#RightToShelterGaza: urgent campaign needs your support

The Government Operations Room for Emergency Interventions in the Gaza Strip, together with the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, has launched the #RightToShelterGaza campaign in response to the rapidly deteriorating living conditions faced by displaced families.

#RightToShelterGaza: prefabricated housing units urgently needed in Gaza

Hundreds of thousands of people are currently surviving in fragile, poorly equipped tents that offer little protection from rain, cold, and strong winds, due to the Israeli occupation deliberately preventing life-saving humanitarian aid and shelters in the Strip. Through this campaign, authorities are urging the international community to exert pressure on ‘Israel’ to permit the immediate entry of prefabricated housing units as an urgent humanitarian necessity.

Officials from both bodies have explained that recent severe weather conditions have clearly demonstrated how inadequate tents are as shelter. Heavy rainfall and strong winds have flooded or destroyed thousands of tents, leaving families exposed and placing children and elderly people at serious risk, especially in the absence of safe heating options.

More than 53,000 tents across the Gaza Strip were damaged during recent weather depressions, worsening the already dire humanitarian situation and increasing urgent needs among displaced households.

The #RightToShelterGaza campaign comes at a time when two million people are currently displaced in Gaza, including close to one million children. Most are living in extremely harsh conditions inside tents that lack basic necessities.

Extra problems faced by disabled Palestinians

Before the genocide, Gaza had approximately 55,000 persons with disabilities. According to the WHO, in September 2025, around 42,000 additional individuals had suffered severe, life-changing injuries requiring long-term rehabilitation. This brings the total number of people with disabilities or serious injuries to roughly 97,000. Many are now living in tents that are unsafe and unsuitable for their needs. And their dignity and well-being is further undermined.

Figures from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics also show around 60,000 pregnant women are currently in the Gaza Strip. Most face acute shelter shortages and are forced to live in inadequate tents, which provide neither warmth nor privacy. This situation increases health risks under extremely difficult conditions.

According to the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, Israeli attacks have devastated Gaza’s housing sector. About 90 percent of civilian infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed. More than 355,000 housing units have been affected, including approximately 295,000 homes that were either completely destroyed or rendered uninhabitable, greatly intensifying displacement and the shelter crisis.

The Government Operations Room has stressed that humanitarian organisations and local authorities are unable to meet shelter needs. This is due to severe shortages of materials and fuel caused by the Israeli occupation’s blockade. Lack of fuel has also limited the use of heavy machinery needed to clear rubble, open roads, and drain floodwaters. The Israeli occupation, at the same time, continues blocking the entry of prefabricated housing units. It allows only limited numbers of tents into Gaza, further exposing displaced people to danger.

Gaza needs 200,000 prefabricated housing units but their entry has been blocked by ‘Israel’

The Ministry of Public Works and Housing has emphasised that prefabricated housing units represent the most suitable temporary shelter option. This is especially true given the long timeline required for reconstruction and the ongoing harsh weather. Gaza urgently requires around 200,000 prefabricated units. However, continued restrictions on their entry have forced humanitarian NGOs to rely on tents, despite their obvious shortcomings. These housing units are intended as an interim solution, not a permanent replacement for homes, until reconstruction can begin. In addition, tents are only appropriate during the initial emergency phase of displacement. They are not suitable for winter conditions, as they cannot withstand rain and wind and are difficult to heat safely.

The #RightToShelterGaza campaign aims to raise media attention and political pressure. It emphasises that access to safe shelter is a basic human right that cannot be postponed. By preventing the entry of prefabricated housing units, ‘Israel’ is endangering the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Children and the elderly are particularly affected.

Through this campaign, the Government Operations Room and the Ministry of Public Works and Housing are calling on the United Nations, international organisations, and states party to the Geneva Conventions to fulfil their legal and humanitarian obligations. They urge immediate action to pressure the Israeli occupation to allow the entry of prefabricated housing units into Gaza. This emergency measure will protect lives, provide safe shelter, and preserve a minimum standard of human dignity amid ongoing displacement and harsh weather conditions.

Featured image via the Canary