MoSD: Shelter Materials Designated as Humanitarian Assistance Are a Right of Displaced Families & Must Not Be Sold or Traded

Ministry Calls for Tents and Tarpaulins Recently Entering Gaza to Reach Eligible Families Free of Charge and Stresses Transparency in Distribution

Ramallah – The Ministry of Social Development expressed deep concern over reports and complaints regarding the sale of tents, tarpaulins, and other shelter materials in markets in the Gaza Strip, at a time when tens of thousands of displaced families are living in deteriorating tents and are unable to secure suitable alternatives as winter approaches.

The Ministry affirmed that any shelter materials entering the Gaza Strip as humanitarian assistance and designated for free distribution to displaced and affected families must reach eligible beneficiaries free of charge. Under no circumstances should such assistance be turned into commodities for sale or trade, or should people’s needs be exploited for financial gain.

The Ministry stressed the need to distinguish between materials entering through commercial channels and sold normally in markets, and humanitarian supplies funded by donors and relief organizations and designated for free distribution. It emphasized that any mixing of these two channels, or diversion of humanitarian assistance from its intended purpose, undermines the rights of eligible families and erodes trust in the humanitarian assistance system.

These concerns come as reports by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) indicate that significant shortages of shelter materials persist in the Gaza Strip as the rainy season approaches. Large quantities of tents, tarpaulins, timber, insulation materials, and repair supplies are still awaiting authorization to enter, while thousands of families continue to rely on temporary and deteriorating shelters that do not provide adequate protection from rain, wind, and cold.

The Ministry noted that OCHA reported 141,000 tarpaulins and 7,540 tents among urgent shelter supplies awaiting entry through one of the supply routes in early September, alongside thousands of shelter repair kits, tools, anchoring materials, and insulation supplies. Humanitarian organizations have warned that the rate at which these materials are entering Gaza remains far below the actual level of need for the coming winter.

Field reports also indicate that the prices of commercially available tents and tarpaulins have risen to levels beyond the means of many displaced families. This further underscores the importance of ensuring that free humanitarian assistance does not enter commercial markets and that the receipt, storage, and distribution of such assistance are subject to clear, traceable, and reviewable procedures.

The Ministry of Social Development stressed that a family’s need for shelter to protect its children from rain and cold must not become an opportunity for exploitation, particularly amid the loss of income sources and weakened purchasing power affecting the majority of displaced families, who already face accumulated burdens in securing food, medicines, clothing, and other daily necessities.

The Ministry called on all entities operating in the Gaza Strip to ensure the highest levels of transparency in the management of humanitarian assistance and to publish clear information on the quantities entering Gaza, receiving entities, distribution mechanisms, and beneficiary groups, allowing assistance to be tracked from the point of entry until it reaches eligible families.

It also called for the verification of any complaints or reports concerning the sale of shelter assistance designated for free distribution and for appropriate action to be taken against any entity or individual proven to have diverted or traded such assistance, regardless of their capacity or affiliation. The Ministry emphasized that protecting humanitarian assistance from exploitation is a shared responsibility.

The Ministry noted that its teams and partners in the Gaza Strip have provided tents, tarpaulins, and non-food assistance during recent months as part of relief and shelter interventions. It stressed that the principle governing this type of assistance is clear: humanitarian assistance provided to eligible families is neither bought nor sold; it is distributed according to need and eligibility criteria. In July, the Ministry announced the provision of non-food assistance, including tents and tarpaulins, as part of its humanitarian response in the Gaza Strip.

The Ministry of Social Development concluded by stressing that the immediate priority must be to secure families’ needs before winter, ensure the entry of tents, tarpaulins, and insulation materials in quantities proportionate to the scale of need, and distribute free humanitarian assistance to eligible families transparently and equitably, without exploitation, profiteering, or forcing displaced families to bear the cost of assistance originally intended to protect them and preserve their dignity.