New York / PNN /

 The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said on Wednesday that thousands of forcibly displaced people in the Gaza Strip are struggling to find safe shelter ahead of the approaching cold weather, amid the aftermath of Israel’s two-year-long campaign of annihilation on the territory.

The agency stated in a post on the American platform X that “thousands of forcibly displaced in Gaza are struggling to find safe shelter in preparation for the coming cold weather.”

It added that the displaced “have no choice but to live in makeshift tents,” noting that “additional shelter materials are still urgently needed.”

UNRWA highlighted that over 79,000 displaced people are living in 85 shelters it operates across Gaza, facing worsening humanitarian conditions as winter approaches.

UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stephan Dujarric warned yesterday that Palestinian families displaced in Gaza are at risk of flooding in inadequate shelters, emphasizing that residents are “highly vulnerable” amid severe weather conditions, while ongoing Israeli restrictions hinder the entry of vital aid and obstruct the work of relief organizations.

The recent weather system, accompanied by heavy rain, caused dozens of displaced persons’ tents to flood in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, raising concerns of a humanitarian disaster.

It is estimated that Gaza needs approximately 300,000 tents and prefabricated housing units to meet the most basic shelter needs of its residents, after Israel destroyed the infrastructure during two years of annihilation.