The United Nations and its humanitarian partners are continuing to deliver essential supplies to people in Gaza ahead of winter, despite restrictions on aid deliveries and funding shortfalls.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said transport operations were suspended on Thursday following the Israeli closure of the Kerem Shalom crossing for election day.
On Wednesday, UN teams brought food supplies, blankets, winter clothing, school items and fuel into the Gaza Strip, among other essential goods.
Over the past week, humanitarian partners distributed school bags to more than 8,000 children, alongside other education supplies. The previous week, they provided stationery to about 22,000 children and furnished approximately 300 classrooms serving around 60,000 learners.
The deliveries come as displaced families prepare for a fourth winter season in deteriorating tents and makeshift shelters, many offering limited protection from cold weather, strong winds, rain and flooding.
The UN Development Programme said its teams were using recycled crushed concrete to raise and level shelter sites ahead of the rainy season.
However, a shelter assessment by humanitarian partners found that about 950,000 people were living in displacement sites at medium-to-high risk of flooding. Heavy rainfall could force further displacement, while available stocks of relief supplies remain insufficient to meet anticipated needs.
OCHA said additional funding and the easing of restrictions were urgently needed to expand the humanitarian response.
The US$4 billion Flash Appeal for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, covering Gaza and the West Bank, is currently only 41 per cent funded.
