UN warns Gaza’s displaced face freezing nights and food shortages

Since the ceasefire on 10 October, the UN migration agency IOM has dispatched more than 47,000 relief items, including 2,500 tents, to help families rebuild amid devastation.

“People in Gaza have endured unimaginable loss,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope.

Shelter ‘not a luxury’

“Shelter isn’t a luxury; it allows families to rest, to stay warm, and to begin rebuilding their lives. Every person deserves to live in safety and dignity, and humanitarian aid must reach everyone, everywhere.”

Shelter needs are extreme, with an estimated 90 per cent of the population displaced and at least 1.5 million people urgently requiring emergency shelter assistance.

“Many people are returning to find their homes reduced to rubble,” Ms. Pope added, warning that the recovery “cannot begin without safe housing”.

Despite the ceasefire, customs delays, insecurity, and limited crossings continue to hinder aid delivery. IOM has pre-positioned millions of relief items in nearby Jordan, including 28,000 additional tents and more than four million winter supply items ready for rapid deployment once access improves.

A million meals a day

At UN Headquarters in New York, Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said the UN and partners are scaling up food, nutrition, and water services under the UN’s 60-day response plan.

“Our partners are now distributing over one million hot meals daily across the Strip,” he said, adding that six UN-supported bakeries have resumed bread production.

More than 150 nutrition sites are now operating across Gaza, supported by 20 mobile health and nutrition teams – double the number before the ceasefire. “This week alone, partners delivered enough therapeutic food to treat 1,200 children suffering from acute malnutrition,” Mr. Haq noted.

Water and sanitation support is also expanding, with hundreds of thousands of diapers, jerry cans and hygiene kits distributed, and 140 new water tanks installed to expand community access points.

Limited crossing points

Aid continues to enter through the two operational crossings, Kerem Shalom and Kissufim. On Wednesday alone, 127 UN-coordinated trucks were collected for distribution inside Gaza, carrying food, tents, medical supplies and fuel.

Mr. Haq emphasised that “more can and must be done”, urging Israel to open additional crossings, especially to the north, and to facilitate access for NGOs.

“We need full, safe and unrestricted humanitarian access,” he said. “The needs are immense – and they are growing by the day.”