International aid groups report that shelter materials have yet to reach Gaza despite Israel announcing last month that restrictions would be lifted, warning that delays could cost more Palestinian lives.
Aid organisations say Israeli authorities had effectively blocked delivery of shelter supplies for almost six months, with items such as tent poles previously considered to have potential military use.
Following rising international concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Israel said it would start allowing shelter materials in from Saturday, via the Kerem Shalom Crossing. However, officials from five aid groups, including U.N. agencies, said the supplies needed by displaced Palestinians are still not arriving due to bureaucratic obstacles.
“The United Nations and our partners have…not been able to bring in shelter materials following the Israeli announcement,” Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told Reuters.
“There’s a set of impediments that still needs to be addressed, including Israeli customs clearance.”
CARE International, ShelterBox, and the Norwegian Refugee Council confirmed they had not received authorisation to deliver tents or related materials. Another international NGO said it was attempting to obtain clearance but had yet to succeed.
Over 1.3 million Gazans are currently without tents, the U.N. reported this month, with numbers expected to rise as Israeli operations advance in Gaza City. Many displaced Palestinians live in rubble or makeshift shelters.
“Life in the tent is no life at all…There’s no proper bathroom, not even a decent place to sit. We end up sitting in the street, suffocating in the heat,” said 55-year-old Ibrahim Tabassi in Khan Younis, who shares his tarpaulin and scrap metal tent with nine family members.
Sanaa Abu Jamous described using the same tattered tent throughout the conflict. “My tent is extremely worn out,” she said.
Israel said shelter materials would be allowed through Kerem Shalom, but subject to security inspections. The Red Cross confirmed it had received permission to bring aid via the Jordanian corridor, but CARE International said it had not yet seen the change take effect.
The Norwegian Refugee Council applied to deliver 3,000 tents across Gaza, including the north, but had not received a reply. Many aid groups are resisting Israeli requirements introduced in March to register staff, citing privacy concerns. COGAT, Israel’s military coordination agency, maintains that the process ensures aid reaches the population rather than Hamas.
ShelterBox’s regional director, Haroon Altaf, said limiting entry to only a few organisations would be insufficient. “If it’s only a handful of organisations that can bring shelter aid in, it doesn’t really change much and it’s deeply concerning. People are going to die because of it,” he said.
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