UN says Israeli approval hurdles are delaying shelter materials and aid to Gaza

United Nations officials warned that bureaucratic hurdles are constraining the volume and timeliness of aid and shelter materials entering Gaza, aggravating risks for displaced families.

An agency official said humanitarian partners, including the International Organization for Migration, have provided shelter repairs and installed large emergency family shelters, but repeated delays in Israeli approvals and customs clearance have limited deliveries. "We're not currently able to bring in the kind of material we need to build even more permanent temporary shelter," the official said.

The briefing said several shipments — including kitchen sets and solar lanterns that had previously cleared Israeli authorities — were nevertheless denied entry, and that approvals for winter items sometimes arrived only in summer. UN teams also reported multiple fires this June caused by indoor or near-tent cooking; the agency is providing safer-cooking guidance to at-risk families.

The official said there were no confirmed reports to UN New York of "serious looting or disruption" of aid distribution, but that bottlenecks in volume and access persist. Aid organizations warned that clearance delays and restricted access hamper not only shelter delivery but also distribution of fuel, winter items and life-saving supplies.

Ending: The UN reiterated calls for expedited approvals and predictable customs procedures to prevent avoidable harm and to allow partners to scale up shelter and basic-service assistance.