“Our situation is extremely difficult and we want someone to help us, at least by providing us with a suitable and protective tent,” Amina told the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) earlier this week.
Millions of people like Amina, who are threatened by rains, floods and continuous shelling, need help to save lives.
However, a recent Israeli ban on dozens of humanitarian groups puts such assistance out of reach. A move that a group of independent UN human rights experts warned Thursday is a violation of international law.
“This strategy will create conditions that will force Palestinians into chronic deprivation, threatening their very survival as a group and further violating the Genocide Convention,” the experts said. “We have to stop it.”
Green light for US peace plan for Gaza
Later on Thursday, in a statement released by his spokesperson, Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the launch of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan, announced on Wednesday.
The plan includes the establishment of a technocratic transitional Palestinian administration in Gaza and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
“Any initiative that contributes to alleviating civilian suffering, supporting recovery and reconstruction and promoting a credible political horizon is a positive development.”the statement said.
Guterres stressed that the UN will continue to support all efforts to end the occupation and the conflict that lead to the achievement of a two-State solution, in line with previous UN resolutions and international law.
‘Uninhabitable’ shelters
OCHA said 800,000 people – nearly 40 percent of the population – now live in flood-prone sites, where winter storms and heavy rain have made shelters uninhabitable.
As of Tuesday, UN partners reported that hundreds of tents and makeshift shelters were destroyed or severely damaged. leaving more than 3,000 people exposed to adverse weather conditionswhile more than 60 inhabited buildings in Gaza City could be at risk of collapsing.
forbidden waters
The OCHA noted that The Israeli army remains deployed in more than half of the Gaza Strip.beyond the “Yellow Line”, where access is restricted or prohibited to aid facilities, public infrastructure and agricultural land.
Detonations of residential buildings have continued, along with excavator activity, OCHA said, including near or east of the “Yellow Line.”
Furthermore, Palestinian access to the sea remains prohibited and there continue to be reports of Palestinian fishermen being killed or detained in waters near Gaza.
Millions of blocked aid
Announced as a national security measure on December 30, 2025, Israel’s new regulation bans 37 international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating in Gaza and the West Bank.
As of December 31, nearly $50 million in life-saving aid remained blocked amid repeated ceasefire violations, according to the group of independent experts appointed by the Human Rights Council. They are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work.
In early December, UN agencies and NGOs were only able to deliver 14,600 tents for 85,000 people, leaving 1.3 million Palestinians without adequate winter shelter.
Several people, including six children, have already died from hypothermia, drowning or cold-related injuries.
“There are no words left to describe what Gaza has become.”said the experts.