More than 91,000 tents and over 8,200 trucks carrying winter supplies have entered the Gaza Strip since Israel launched its winter preparedness plan, the IDF and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said this week.
The trucks carried tarpaulins, blankets, winter clothing and other equipment. COGAT said the IDF and COGAT have approved more than 850 requests covering tens of thousands of trucks of winter supplies for shelter, water, sanitation and healthcare. Medical equipment, vaccines, and fuel for pumping stations and other humanitarian facilities have also entered the Strip.
The plan, which began in September, is being carried out in coordination with the Board of Peace, the United Nations, international organizations and donor countries. The pace picked up ahead of the rainy season. On October 30, COGAT reported more than 85,000 tents and 8,000 trucks. In the week before last weekend’s storm alone, more than 10,000 tents and over 360 trucks of winter equipment entered Gaza, according to COGAT.
Israel is also advancing water and sanitation projects, including sewage removal and repairs to water networks. Twelve sewage vacuum trucks have entered Gaza through the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The announcement followed heavy rainfall over the weekend that flooded tens of thousands of tents housing displaced Gazans. Reuters reported that at least five people, including three children, have died. Hamas claimed that 70,000 tents were damaged, a figure that has not been independently verified. The Board of Peace described the situation as “an immediate humanitarian emergency,” and UNICEF and the World Health Organization warned of possible disease outbreaks.
Israel placed the responsibility on Hamas. The Prime Minister’s Office said that Hamas “has not handed over even one weapon,” and that despite its refusal to honor its commitments, Israel had allowed additional humanitarian supplies into Gaza to ease winter conditions. “Hamas doesn’t get to escape accountability every time it rains,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry said.
COGAT said Israel will not allow equipment into Gaza that could be used “to develop terrorist capabilities,” and that large-scale reconstruction can begin only after Hamas fully disarms. “Hamas’s refusal to disarm and use of civilian equipment for military purposes impedes the improvement of living conditions for Gazan civilians,” COGAT said. The IDF noted that the UN and international organizations have acknowledged that they cannot guarantee certain equipment they request would not reach Hamas.
“The IDF and COGAT will continue working to improve the humanitarian response and prepare the population for winter, while preventing these efforts from being exploited to rebuild the capabilities of terrorist organizations,” the military said.
