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Gaza Crisis 2023 – Shelter Situation Update, 7th November 2023

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SITUATION OVERVIEW

In the month since the atrocities carried out by Hamas on 7 October, Israel has subjected the Gaza Strip to severe and indiscriminate bombardment. The Ministry of Public Works and Housing in Gaza reports that 90 per cent of the structures damaged are residential (more than 6,600 buildings), resulting in unprecedented shelter-related concerns.

As of 4 November, the government media office stated that more than 220,000 housing units are damaged, and over 40,000 units destroyed or rendered uninhabitable, which together accounts for more than 50 per cent of the housing stock in Gaza. These numbers are still incomplete due to the intensity of the bombardments and lack of access for field assessment, while additional destruction continues to occur. Satellite images updated on 20 October shows the levelling of entire neighbourhoods, including in Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia, Shuja'iyeh, the area between Gaza City and Ashati refugee camp, and the eastern part of Abasan Al-Kabira. This extensive damage exacerbates outstanding humanitarian needs as a result of prior escalations, pre-existing housing shortages, and widespread prevalence of overcrowded and inadequate housing. In this already difficult context, the housing of more than 1 million people has varying levels of damage, posing significant protection risks. Of prime concern over the longer-term is addressing the needs of more than 200,000 people who have no home to return to.

With aerial strikes continuing across the entire Gaza Strip, over two thirds of the total population – about 1.5 million people - are currently internally displaced. Relocation orders from northern Gaza have swelled the population in southern governorates, putng excessive strain on already severely diminished or non-existent resources. Over 700,000 have sought refuge in UNRWA premises, with as many as 150,000 relocating to UNRWA facilities in recent days, seeking food and basic services. Over 220,000 are sheltering in hospitals, mosques, and other public buildings. The remaining IDPs are residing with host families or alternative structures. UNRWA shelters have exceeded their limit, with the average number of IDPs almost four times the intended capacity. As shelters are unable to accommodate new arrivals, increasingly people are sleeping in the open in the surrounding streets in hope of safety, or finding refuge in non-residential or makeshi􏰀 structures. Lack of access to around 300,000 IDPs remaining in northern Gaza is preventing a clear picture of their needs and conditions.