Gazans face winter perils and ceasefire violations amid deepening shelter crisis

The Government Media Office (GMO) warned on Tuesday that the situation in Gaza could deteriorate into a humanitarian catastrophe, with more than 1.5 million displaced people living in tents and hundreds of buildings at risk of collapse.

GMO accused the Zionist regime’s occupation of evading its obligations under the agreement, saying it had documented 5,147 violations that resulted in the killing of 1,421 Palestinians, the injury of 4,983 others, and the detention of 198 people.

GMO said that these ongoing violations, coupled with restrictions on supplies and travel, has deepened the humanitarian crisis across various sectors in Gaza.

There are approximately 270,000 tents across the Gaza Strip, of which 162,000 (60 percent) are completely worn out and unfit for use. As a result, over 1.5 million displaced people are living with inadequate protection from the cold and rain, according to GMO.

The shelter crisis also extends to thousands of residents living in damaged or structurally unsafe homes. GMO warns that more than 255 buildings are at risk of collapsing at any moment, threatening further loss of life and raising fears of a disaster similar to the recent as-Saada building collapse in Gaza City.

“As a result, families are forced into a harrowing choice between remaining in degraded tents unfit for habitation or taking shelter in structurally compromised buildings vulnerable to imminent collapse,” GMO said.

GMO called on the international community, the UN and international organizations to intervene urgently and exert meaningful pressure on Israel to halt its attacks on civilians, fully reopen border crossings, allow the entry of essential supplies and winter relief aid, and facilitate the travel of patients and the wounded.