Middle East: 94% of Gaza Residents in Need of Shelter as Israel Increases Demolitions in Lebanon

Middle east: Israeli restrictions continue to impede essential aid deliveries and services, from shelter-building to waste collection. According to United Nations, these constraints affect people's ability to sleep, cook, wash, store food and water, maintain adequate lighting, and cope with heat and cold, as more than four out of five families currently face critical or catastrophic living conditions lacking fuel, energy, and essential household items. Nearly two-thirds of families live in tents or makeshift shelters that rapidly deteriorate in harsh weather, as they are designed only for short-term use. Israeli restrictions on building materials continue to create obstacles in bringing more structured shelter into Gaza. Mr. Stéphane Dujarric, a UN Spokesperson, noted that last winter, over 70% of families experienced flooding. Ahead of the cold and rainy season, humanitarian partners are striving to ensure adequate shelter for families. Obstacles to aid delivery include funding shortfalls and Israeli rest rictions on the entry of materials and equipment. UN partners estimate that $562 million is needed to improve living conditions. OCHA continues to receive reports of Palestinian civilians in Gaza being killed, injured, or impacted by Israeli airstrikes, shelling, and gunfire, including children. On Thursday, the bodies of 50 people, including 19 children, were laid to rest after being recovered from rubble in Gaza. Efforts to remove rubble and retrieve bodies remain limited by restrictions on heavy machinery, spare parts, lubricants, and access to vast areas within Gaza. Given the continued infestation of rodents amid unsanitary conditions across the rubble-strewn Strip, fresh pest control efforts are making progress, according to the UN Development Programme (UNDP). Since May, pest control activities have expanded to reach over 3,250 high-risk sites, including displacement sites, markets, and hospitals. The UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, reported observing 86 airspace violations, nine airstrikes, and 265 projectiles launched by Israeli forces, along with nearly 30 instances of drone activity, including reconnaissance sorties, kinetic strikes, and suicide drones. Demolitions and destruction of infrastructure by Israeli forces have continued, along with restrictions on freedom of movement. Seven incidents have been recorded so far this week, mostly involving Israeli forces, resulting in patrols, convoys, or humanitarian movements being delayed, rerouted, or required to turn back. In response to the crises, the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, is opening a new temporary learning space in Gaza. In southern Lebanon, UNRWA is distributing food parcels to people in refugee camps. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) is supporting educational spaces and helping to install solar energy systems in primary healthcare centers, contributing to the continuity of essential services. The World Food Programme (WFP) reaches around 1.5 million people in Gaza with food parcels, wheat flour, bread, hot meals, healthy school snacks, nutrition services, and cash. In Gaza, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has published guidelines for removing and recycling debris to reopen and repave roads, prepare shelter sites, and restore access to critical facilities like hospitals and humanitarian service points.