Devastating Lack of Shelter Exacerbates Risk of Harm to Palestinians in Gaza

February 2025

1. Executive Summary

The escalation of violence in October 2023, following attacks by Palestinian armed groups and Israel’s subsequent offensive on Gaza, caused extensive destruction and displacement. According to the Ministry of Public Works and Housing (MoPWH) in Gaza, 92 per cent of homes have been damaged or destroyed. Nearly the entire 2.2 million population has been displaced, and vital infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and community centres, has been razed.

The Shelter Cluster in Palestine reports that nearly one million displaced Palestinians are living in substandard tents or makeshift shelters, with families resorting to sewing old rice sacks together for basic cover. Many more are living in crowded shelters in unsafe conditions. At present, 18 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are out of service, and 88 per cent of schools require significant rehabilitation or rebuilding.

Despite warnings from the Shelter Cluster in September about the urgent need for shelter assistance for one million Palestinians in central and southern Gaza, aid flow remained severely restricted. By the time the ceasefire came into effect on 19 January 2025, shelter materials had barely entered Gaza. As a result, aid agencies were only able to support 23 per cent of those in urgent need, while the overall demand for shelter assistance has continued to rise.

The acute shelter crisis compounds the challenges Palestinians face in meeting basic needs, including food security, following weeks of sustained violence, destruction and looting. Women and children are disproportionately affected, with the Protection Cluster documenting rising incidents of violence, deprivation, lack of privacy, and exploitation in the absence of secure shelter.

The Gaza Protection Monitoring System (PMS) revealed that 70 per cent of respondents expressed severe concerns about shelter safety. Risks of physical violence and exposure to the elements are heightened for those in substandard housing. The lack of adequate shelter has also led to increased risks of gender-based violence (GBV), sexual abuse, exploitation, and child mortality due to hypothermia. Many Palestinians are forced to seek refuge in damaged buildings, exposing them to the dangers of explosive remnants of war (ERW).

To mitigate further harm to the estimated 1.9 million displaced Palestinians and reduce risks to the most vulnerable, it is imperative that Israel permits the immediate, unrestricted delivery of shelter materials to Gaza at scale.