BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 4 The European Union has warned that preparations to protect people in Gaza from winter conditions are “far behind” schedule as seasonal rains approach.
The EU’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid department said that 94 percent of households in the Gaza Strip lack basic shelter materials and essential non-food items, describing the situation as “a race against time.”
“Conditions are critical and rains could flood overcrowded sites with waste and sewage,” the EU department said in a statement on X, calling for urgent action on shelter, clean water supplies, waste management and unrestricted humanitarian access.
The warning follows an earlier report by the Norwegian Refugee Council and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which said around 1.98 million Palestinians in Gaza do not have adequate shelter.
According to the report, nearly two-thirds of households are living in tents or temporary structures that were not designed for long-term use.
OCHA said around 2.1 million people require shelter assistance, essential household items or protection from ongoing security threats. The organisation estimated that $562 million is needed to address the humanitarian gap.
The UN agency also said that materials needed to repair and rebuild homes are still unable to enter Gaza at the required level, despite the passage of months since the ceasefire began.
Previous winters in Gaza have resulted in severe flooding, destruction of thousands of tents and deaths linked to exposure to cold weather.
