Nearly 94% of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents are in urgent need of shelter, as Israeli airstrikes, shelling and gunfire continue across the besieged enclave, the United Nations has warned.

The UN said more than four out of every five Palestinian families in Gaza are facing critical or catastrophic living conditions, with severe shortages of fuel, energy and basic household necessities compounding the humanitarian disaster created by Israel’s prolonged military campaign.

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the lack of adequate shelter and essential supplies is affecting virtually every aspect of daily life for Palestinians.

“These constraints affect people’s ability to sleep, their ability to cook, their ability to wash, their ability to store food and water, maintain adequate lighting, and cope with heat and cold,” Dujarric said.

According to the UN humanitarian coordination office, nearly two-thirds of Palestinian families are living in tents or makeshift shelters that are rapidly deteriorating under harsh weather conditions. Such shelters were designed for temporary use and are increasingly unable to protect displaced Palestinians from Gaza’s extreme heat, cold and heavy rain.

Israeli restrictions hamper reconstruction

The UN said efforts to provide Palestinians with more durable shelter remain severely constrained by restrictions on the entry of construction materials, heavy machinery and other essential equipment.

Dujarric said humanitarian agencies continue to face “obstacles” in bringing more structured shelter into Gaza, warning that the situation could become even more dangerous with the approaching cold and rainy season.

Last winter, more than 70% of families experienced flooding, according to UN agencies.

Humanitarian organizations are now working to prepare displaced Palestinians for another difficult winter, but funding shortages and Israeli restrictions on the entry of materials and equipment are severely limiting their ability to respond.

UN partners estimate that $562 million is required to improve shelter and living conditions across the Gaza Strip.

Palestinians continue to be killed under Israeli fire

The humanitarian crisis is unfolding as Palestinian civilians continue to face Israeli airstrikes, shelling and gunfire across Gaza.

The UN humanitarian office said it continues to receive reports of Palestinians being killed, injured and otherwise harmed, including children.

“Civilians should never be targeted or used for military purposes,” Dujarric said.

The latest warnings underscore the devastating consequences of Israel’s military operations for Gaza’s civilian population, where millions have been displaced and large portions of residential areas and essential infrastructure have been destroyed.

Bodies recovered from beneath Gaza's rubble

The scale of destruction has also created a grim secondary crisis: thousands of Palestinians remain buried beneath collapsed buildings and rubble.

On Thursday, the bodies of 50 Palestinians, including 19 children, were laid to rest after being recovered from beneath the rubble in recent days. Some of the victims had been killed more than two years ago.

The UN said efforts to locate and recover bodies remain severely restricted because of limitations on the entry of heavy machinery, spare parts, lubricants and other equipment required to clear destroyed neighborhoods.

Access restrictions to large areas of the Gaza Strip are also preventing rescue and recovery teams from reaching many sites.

For families across Gaza, the recovery of bodies has become another painful reminder of the enormous human toll of Israel’s military campaign and the destruction left behind in its wake.

Rubble and unsanitary conditions fuel health risks

The destruction of homes, hospitals, markets and sanitation infrastructure has also created fertile conditions for rodents and other pests.

The UN Development Programme said pest-control operations have expanded since May, reaching more than 3,250 high-risk locations, including displacement sites, markets and hospitals.

The effort comes amid widespread unsanitary conditions across Gaza, where Palestinians are living among vast quantities of rubble and with severely damaged water, sanitation and waste-management systems.

Israeli violations reported in Lebanon

The humanitarian situation is also deteriorating along another front.

The UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, reported observing 86 airspace violations, nine Israeli airstrikes and 265 projectiles launched by Israeli forces between Monday and Wednesday.

UNIFIL also recorded nearly 30 incidents involving Israeli drones, including reconnaissance flights, kinetic strikes and suicide-drone activity.

Israeli forces have also continued demolitions and destruction of infrastructure in southern Lebanon, while restrictions on movement have disrupted humanitarian operations and civilian mobility.

The UN said it recorded seven incidents this week involving restrictions that forced patrols, convoys and humanitarian movements to be delayed, rerouted or turned back.

The developments in Gaza and Lebanon highlight the growing humanitarian consequences of continued Israeli military operations and restrictions on humanitarian access, with civilians bearing the overwhelming burden of the ongoing violence. (ILKHA)