Flooding that submerged tens of thousands of tents and temporary shelters in Gaza has highlighted the territory’s urgent humanitarian needs as political disputes continue, particularly over Hamas’ disarmament and the transition to a new civilian administration under U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan.
The Board of Peace, which oversees the plan, criticized Israel on Tuesday over delays in humanitarian efforts and Hamas over its refusal to disarm and relinquish control. It warned that continued disputes could cause further setbacks in implementing the peace plan, according to a statement published by the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem on “X.”
The board called on Israel to speed up the entry of shelter supplies and equipment needed to repair water and sewage networks, manage waste and drain rainwater. It also called on Hamas, which is designated by the United States as a terrorist organization, to halt military activities in civilian areas, disarm and relinquish control of the territory.
The board oversees the implementation of the plan to end the war and rebuild Gaza. It coordinates funding and supervises executive bodies, including the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, which is tasked with providing civilian services and managing day-to-day affairs.
Widespread Damage, Growing Needs
The weather system began affecting Gaza on the evening of Nov. 6, with heavy rain intensifying on Saturday and Sunday. Thousands of tents and shelters for displaced people were flooded or damaged. Severe shortages of shelter materials and winter supplies threatened to compound the misery.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said more than 6,000 shelters and tents had been destroyed, about 17,400 others damaged, and the property of more than 26,000 families affected.
The territory’s Ministry of Social Development said 18,860 families in 339 displacement camps had been affected.
The damage comes as earlier U.N. estimates show Gaza facing urgent needs ahead of winter.
The Shelter Cluster, a humanitarian coordination group, said about 294,250 families need winter shelter assistance and that 54 percent of existing tents and shelters in Gaza are in poor or very poor condition and need to be replaced.
An earlier OCHA report said about 1.4 million people, or roughly 65 percent of the population, were living in tents and temporary shelters, while more than 150,000 ready-to-deploy tents remained outside the territory.
Dispute Over Responsibility and Supplies
The Office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected responsibility for the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, saying Israel was working with the United States and the Board of Peace to implement Trump’s plan and that Gaza’s reconstruction was linked to Hamas’ disarmament.
A statement from Netanyahu’s office accused Hamas of refusing to surrender its weapons and of using construction materials and aid for military purposes. It called on mediators to pressure the group to disarm.
The Palestinian National Council, meanwhile, called in a statement on Tuesday for urgent international action to allow tents, mobile homes, shelter and heating supplies, and medicines into Gaza without restrictions.
Netanyahu’s office said Israel had brought in more than 91,000 tents and more than 8,200 trucks carrying tarpaulins, blankets, winter clothing and other supplies, as well as 12 sewage-pumping trucks, as part of a winter plan that includes repairing water and sewage networks and providing fuel for pumping stations.
In a separate statement, the Israeli military said it had approved more than 850 requests to bring in shelter, water and sanitation, and health-care supplies. But about half of the requests had not been carried out because of logistical and funding issues involving international organizations.
The figures do not resolve the dispute over whether supplies are meeting actual needs. The United Nations says tents and pumps for removing floodwater remain outside Gaza, while stocks inside the territory are sufficient to help only a portion of families in need.
Delayed Transition to Civilian Rule
The obstacles extend beyond shelter materials to infrastructure. The Norwegian Refugee Council warned that Israeli restrictions could delay the entry of some winter shelter supplies by more than seven months.
Reuters, citing UNICEF on Tuesday, reported that equipment needed to repair the Sheikh Radwan basin, which drains rainwater, faced obstacles to entry, raising concerns that the basin could collapse.
The organization said about 1 million displaced people face moderate to high risks of flooding.
The humanitarian obstacles are closely tied to disputes over the future administration of Gaza. The next phase of Trump’s plan remains dependent on agreement over Hamas’ disarmament and governance and security arrangements.
The plan includes transferring administration to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, a transitional body headed by Ali Shaath, a civil engineer and former Palestinian Authority official. The committee is based in Cairo and has yet to begin operating inside Gaza, although taking over civilian responsibilities is a central element of the next phase.
The Board of Peace’s criticism came after its high representative for Gaza, Nikolay Mladenov, and executive board member Tony Blair visited Israel last week in an effort to press Netanyahu’s government to implement the plan.
Mladenov described Israeli restrictions on the entry of shelter equipment as unacceptable in August, according to The Associated Press.
Adapted and translated from the original Arabic.
