More than 150,000 tents purchased by humanitarian organizations and UN member states are being held outside the Gaza Strip pending Israeli authorization to enter the besieged Palestinian territory, as displaced Palestinians face worsening humanitarian conditions ahead of winter, the United Nations said Wednesday.

UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said the supplies included 117,000 tents stored by the Egyptian Relief Committee in the Egyptian city of El-Arish.

Although transportation funding can sometimes complicate humanitarian deliveries, Haq stressed that Israeli authorization was the main obstacle preventing the tents from reaching Palestinians in need.

"They're just on the other side, and we're ready to bring them in as soon as we get the permissions," Haq said, according to Anadolu Agency.

He added that the speed of deliveries would depend on access to border crossings and the time required to complete entry procedures.

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher called for an immediate end to delays in delivering essential winter supplies, rejecting arguments that Israel's domestic political developments should prevent humanitarian assistance from reaching Gaza.

Fletcher said foreign ministers and international partners had expressed support for the UN's winter response plan but repeatedly urged the organization to wait until Israel's elections and the formation of a new government.

He described such delays as unacceptable given the worsening humanitarian emergency facing Palestinians.

"No more delay. Open all the crossings, not just one," Fletcher said, according to Anadolu.

The UN winter response plan includes the delivery of durable shelters, warm clothing, blankets and safe heating equipment, as well as fuel, generators and machinery to pump out floodwater and remove debris.

Fletcher also called for humanitarian organizations to be allowed to operate freely in Gaza, commercial markets to resume functioning and sufficient funding to be made available for emergency winter assistance.

Meanwhile, heavy rainfall and flooding have further aggravated Gaza's already collapsing sanitation infrastructure, exposing displaced families to serious public health risks.

Haq said, citing UNICEF, that no wastewater treatment plant was currently operational in the territory, while rainwater mixed with sewage threatened to overflow from the Sheikh Radwan stormwater basin in Gaza City.

Only two of the facility's six pumps remain operational, significantly limiting its capacity to manage accumulated rainwater and wastewater.

UNICEF has been seeking Israeli authorization for more than a year to bring in equipment required to repair the facility, Haq said.

He called for urgent funding and permission to deliver the necessary machinery and supplies to prevent further deterioration of sanitation conditions.

The lack of functioning wastewater treatment facilities, damaged sewage networks and inadequate drainage systems has left large parts of Gaza vulnerable to flooding and contamination, increasing the risks of disease outbreaks, particularly among children and displaced families.

The humanitarian emergency comes after more than three years of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 74,600 Palestinians and wounded nearly 176,000 since October 2023, according to the latest figures provided by Gaza's health authorities.

Around 90 percent of Gaza's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, leaving hundreds of thousands of Palestinians without adequate housing, healthcare, clean water and basic sanitation.

The majority of Gaza's population has been displaced, with many families forced to live in overcrowded makeshift tents or damaged buildings that offer little protection against harsh weather conditions.

The approaching winter is expected to deepen the suffering of families already struggling with shortages of food, drinking water, medicines and essential supplies.

Despite the ceasefire agreement, Israeli restrictions on humanitarian deliveries continue to obstruct relief operations, leaving thousands of tonnes of urgently needed assistance waiting outside the territory.

UN officials have repeatedly warned that humanitarian supplies must be allowed into Gaza without further delays and that all border crossings should be opened to facilitate the delivery of life-saving assistance.

With more than 150,000 tents still awaiting Israeli authorization, humanitarian organizations warn that displaced Palestinians face another winter without adequate shelter unless immediate action is taken. (ILKHA)