Over 1 mln people in Gaza still urgently need shelter assistance

An estimated more than 1 million people, or every other person in Gaza, still urgently need shelter assistance, the Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General said Friday.



The shelter assistance needs remain, although humanitarians have distributed thousands of tents and hundreds of thousands of tarpaulins and other items across the strip since the ceasefire, according to the office.



It cited the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs as saying that humanitarians in Gaza continue to help the most vulnerable families as harsh winter conditions leave hundreds of thousands of Palestinians struggling in makeshift tents damaged by rain, wind and seawater waves.



Meanwhile, UN partners working in water, sanitation and hygiene are facing challenges in managing solid waste as the gap widens between the quantity collected and accumulated, due to the inability to reach landfills, damaged infrastructure and fuel shortages, said the spokesperson's office.



Despite the impediments, UN Children's Fund-supported teams have removed 1,000 tonnes of solid waste every month since the ceasefire, helping safeguard the well-being and health of children and their families.