UN: 94 % of Gaza residents need shelter and basic household supplies

UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Thursday that 94 per cent of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip need shelter and basic household supplies, amid the ongoing Israeli occupation and blockade of the territory.

Dujarric made the remarks during a press conference in New York marking World Humanitarian Day, observed on 19 August, where he briefed reporters on developments in the Middle East.

Citing reports from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Dujarric said reports continued to emerge of “Palestinian civilians in Gaza being killed, being injured or otherwise being impacted by Israeli air strikes, shelling and gunfire, including children.”

He said: “94 per cent of Gaza’s 2.1 million people need shelter and basic household assistance.”

The UN official added that “more than four out of five families face critical or catastrophic [living conditions] in their current shelters which lack fuel, energy and essential household items.”

Dujarric stressed that these restrictions are severely affecting residents’ ability to sleep, cook, bathe, store food and water, secure adequate lighting and cope with heat and cold.