Despite frigid weather and floods, Hamas stops UN from building weatherproof Gaza shelters - report

The UN Development Program (UNDP) was forced to abandon plans to build better-quality shelters for displaced Gazans ahead of the winter months, which have been cold and rainy so far, a Palestinian official told the Arabic-language media outlet Jusoor News International (JNI) on Sunday. 

A Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA) official who works on Gaza issues told JNI that the UNDP launched a project earlier in 2026 to install Relief Housing Units (RHU) for families living in tents. The official spoke to JNI anonymously as he was not allowed to discuss the matter publicly. 

According to publicly available UN Refugee Agency training materials, the RHU comprises a lightweight steel frame, a roof, wall panels, doors and windows, floor covering, a solar energy unit, and an anchoring system. They can last approximately 18 months without maintenance and up to 3 years with regular maintenance.

Hamas views UN shelters as a threat to their power over Gazan population

The official added that the UNDP had partnered with the PA's Public Works and Housing Ministry, with ministry staff conducting surveys and coordinating with locals. Hamas officials, however, threatened the ministry staff with violence if they continued working alongside the UNDP on the project, the PA official told JNI.

Hamas likely saw the RHUs as a threat to its power over the Gazan people, the official told JNI.

Fatah, UN issue statements responding to the situation 

The Palestinian Authority's ruling party, Fatah, condemned Hamas's disruption of the relief work on November 10, without specifically mentioning the UNDP program.

“Fatah condemns Hamas for defaming the PA and accusing it of failing to serve citizens in the Gaza Strip while also summoning officials from the Ministry of Labor and other relief bodies and forcing them to sign promises that prevent them from carrying out their duties,” the party wrote in a statement posted on social media.

 A few days earlier, on November 7, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs published an update on its actions in Gaza, but did not mention the RHUs or Hamas. The statement said that "Humanitarian funding and Israeli approvals are urgently needed so that enough supplies and machinery can be brought into Gaza."

Jusoor News is an Arabic-language digital media outlet launched in March 2024.

The outlet describes itself as independent and unaffiliated with any political entity. However, a July 2026 investigation by +972 Magazine, based on leaked communications and interviews with former contributors, claimed links between Jusoor and the US-based Center for Peace Communications (CPC), founded by Joseph Braude, and alleged that the outlet was part of a broader effort to promote pro-Israel narratives in the Arab world. The investigation also reported that Jusoor's editor-in-chief, Hadeel Oueis, is employed by CPC.

Jusoor and its leadership have disputed criticism of the outlet, maintaining that it seeks to amplify voices underrepresented in regional media.