ReliefWeb

Situation Overview

As the ceasefire allows for more in-depth sectoral assessments to be conducted, it is clear that the scale of damage is unprecedented, with approximately 13 per cent of the housing stock affected in Gaza Strip. Five per cent of the housing stock is uninhabitable - an estimated 18,000 housing units have been either destroyed or severely damaged, leaving more than 108,000 people homeless. This is in addition to the pre-crisis housing deficit of 71,000 housing units, due to people living in overcrowded or inadequate conditions. The provision of temporary housing solutions to these people is one of the major challenges facing the local authorities and the humanitarian community in the coming period.

Gaza’s public services, already over stretched, were placed under extreme strain during the conflict. Water and electricity networks were damaged and Gaza’s only power plant shut down after an Israeli airstrike on 29 July. Necessary repairs and maintenance could not take place due to hostilities and, in several instances, the direct targeting of personnel: at least 14 electricity, water and waste water technicians employed by local utilities were killed by Israeli attacks and at least ten others were injured. Despite extensive repairs, electricity outages of 18 hours a day continue in most areas across Gaza, and only 10 per cent of the population receive water once a day