UN Warns Gaza Aid Shortages Deepen Amid Funding Crisis

The United Nations warned on Wednesday that humanitarian supplies in Gaza remain far below required levels. Severe funding shortages and strict entry restrictions continue to undermine relief operations for Palestinians facing growing needs.

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated that aid organizations struggle to maintain adequate stocks of basic items. Only around forty percent of the annual humanitarian funding request for the occupied Palestinian territory had been met by early September.

Dujarric highlighted an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday that struck a building in Bureij near Deir al-Balah. The attack occurred close to two UN-run schools used as shelters and a UN-supported bakery, displacing around one hundred families.

He stressed that civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times. OCHA warned that many critical supplies await Israeli approval while restrictions on dual-use items hamper humanitarian efforts to address shelter and medical shortages.

The approaching cold and rainy season raises urgent concerns for displaced Palestinians living in damaged buildings. Without additional shelter materials and equipment, families face heightened risks of flooding and disease as current operations fail to meet enormous needs.