Geneva, October 25, 2025: The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has warned that the Gaza Strip is facing a deepening humanitarian crisis as winter approaches, with critical shelter materials and supplies blocked by Israel from entering the besieged territory.
In a statement posted on X on Saturday, UNRWA said that winter and shelter materials intended for displaced families “are sitting in UNRWA warehouses in Jordan and Egypt, blocked from entry.”
“As winter approaches in Gaza, people are increasingly in need of shelter and warmth,” the agency said, urging Israel to restore humanitarian access and comply with international law.
The warning comes despite the latest ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, brokered by US President Donald Trump, which was intended to enable aid delivery and lead to a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
A senior Israeli official was quoted this week as saying that Tel Aviv has no plans to allow UNRWA to resume operations in Gaza, even after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel must facilitate humanitarian access and end the use of starvation as a weapon of war.
The ICJ’s non-binding advisory opinion, requested by the UN General Assembly in December 2024, found that Palestinians in Gaza “have not received sufficient supplies” of humanitarian assistance and outlined Israel’s obligations under international law in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
UNRWA communications chief Jonathan Fowler told the BBC that Israel’s actions were “clearly wrong and against all obligations that member states are meant to follow.”
“It’s incumbent upon all UN member states to ensure that international law is respected,” Fowler said. “UNRWA must be allowed to do its work in Gaza and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory — and accountability must follow.”
Meanwhile, Washington has echoed Israel’s stance, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declaring on Friday that UNRWA “is not going to play any role” in Gaza’s future governance or aid distribution.
“UNRWA is not going to play any role in providing aid,” Rubio said during a visit to the US Civil-Military Coordination Center, which oversees the ceasefire arrangements.
Israel’s continued restrictions on aid deliveries have left Gaza’s population struggling with acute shortages of food, medicine, and shelter.
In a separate statement, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there had been little improvement in humanitarian access since the truce took effect on October 10.
“The situation remains catastrophic because what’s entering is not enough,” Tedros said. “There is no dent in hunger because there is not enough food.”
UN agencies have warned that without immediate access to life-saving supplies, the approaching winter could push thousands more civilians to the brink of starvation and disease.
