94 % OF GAZA RESIDENTS NEED SHELTER AND BASIC HOUSEHOLD SUPPLIES, SAYS UN

Sat 22 August 2026:

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.

UNICEF estimates that 82 percent of families in Gaza are water insecure, and up to 70 percent are unable to access six litres (1.6 gallons) of water per person a day – something the United Nations body says is “far below minimum emergency standards”. UNICEF adds that nearly 90 percent of Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure has been destroyed, further highlighting the necessity for clean water to be provided.

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MSF warns

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned that restrictions on the entry of engine oil and spare parts into the Gaza Strip have worsened the energy crisis, threatening to disrupt hospitals, ambulances, water networks, aid transport and food production.

In a statement released Tuesday, MSF reported that “The supply of engine oil is so limited that the price has increased 20 times in the last six months. By the end of July, it was more than US$1,300 per litre. Neither the quality nor the availability is guaranteed.”

The organisation noted that most healthcare facilities in Gaza rely on generators for electricity amid disrupted power supplies and widespread damage to the electricity network. It warned that generator failures could halt vital medical services, particularly for patients dependent on life-support equipment.

MSF quoted Ola Bardawil, the organisation’s deputy project coordinator, as saying: “When generators break down, hospitals are at risk. Newborn babies in incubators, people who rely on oxygen generators, or those in need of lifesaving surgery will suffer.”

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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