Country: occupied Palestinian territory Sources: Norwegian Refugee Council, Shelter Cluster Please refer to the attached file. SITUATION OVERVIEW GAZA • Shelter Cluster partners continued delivering life-saving Shelter and NFI assistance across the Gaza Strip throughout March, responding to urgent needs among affected households through in-kind and voucher modalities. • In March 2026, Shelter Cluster partners reached approximately 46,549 households with life-saving shelter and NFI assistance across the Gaza Strip. The response included the distribution of key emergency and winterization items such as 1,881 tents, 2,575 tarpaulins, over 33.000 bedding items, 6,827 bedding kits, and 9,773 SDKs, alongside kitchen sets, clothing support, and Emergency Shelter Kits (ESKs). These interventions played a critical role in addressing immediate shelter and household needs, improving living conditions, and supporting affected populations in coping with ongoing challenging conditions. Following the rain waves throughout March, several appeals were received from affected households. Field visits and rapid assessments were conducted, and through the Rapid Joint Distribution Mechanism, a total of 3,727 households were supported with emergency shelter and essential household items This included 699 joint response packages (including tents and NFIs), 2,204 tarpaulins, and 2,129 clothing kits. • Current stocks inside Gaza remain extremely limited, with shelter partners reporting only small quantities of items available in-country; partners are therefore encouraged to maintain contingency reserveswhere possible to respond to sudden emergencies, referral cases, and underserved sites, and to prioritize assistance for the most wlnerable households, with existing stock sufficient to support approximately 29,730 households with shelter items and 13,933 households with essential household NFIs. • The Winterization Plan for 2026-2027 has already been initiated by OCHA, with clusters requested to submit their planned activities, required materials, current pipelines, gaps, and expected impact. The Shelter Cluster emphasizes that emergency response and the provision of items must continue in parallel with early recovery and transitional interventions, as needs on the ground remain dire; due to the ongoing logistical constraints, limited entry capacity, and the types of materials approved, which continue to shape the scale, speed, and modality of the response. The Shelter Cluster has intensified its advocacy efforts through multiple meetings and coordination forums with key stakeholders on winterization and summarization, focusing on the entry of materials, the approval of more durable shelter solutions, and addressing logistical constraints. Advocacy has also prioritized increasing the number of partners approved by donors to receive and manage incoming items, to enhance response capacity and ensure more efficient and equitable distribution. • UNDP, in collaboration with implementing partners, reports that a total of 1,705 RHUs have been received in Gaza, of which 570 have been installed to date. Installations have been completed across three main sites, while works are ongoing in additional 2 sites. Two sites have not yet started. A total of 62 RHUs has also been installed in health facilities across the Gaza Strip. • Latest on damage assessment: the comprehensive damage assessment is still ongoing, currently led mainly by two partners. To date, a total of 17,432 buildings has been assessed, comprising 91,308 housing units (40,074 totaly damaged and 50,991 partially damaged). Of the assessed partially damaged housing units. 9.075 are classified as uninhabitable, while 40,095 are assessed as habitable—representing approximately 44% of the total assessed housing units. A dashboard is currently being prepared for publication, which will include key information to guide partners interventions targeting minor and moderately damaged housing units with emergency repair support. • Several partners are scaling up Emergency Shelter Kit (ESN programming across Gaza through both external procurement (primarily IOM-led pipelines) and local procurement modalities, adapting to ongoing access and approval constraints. Programming includes a mix of standalone shelter solutions and sealing-off interventions, alongside ongoing pilot approaches. • One partner reported the entry of SOO framing kits, marking the first such entry in over a year. However, approved items were limited to wooden poles (2.5 x 5.0 cm sections, 240 an length), with no nails or tools authorized • To sustain response despite pipeline constraints, some partners procured shelter and NFI items from the local market, providing bedding kits, kitchen kits, dothing assistance to households through CVA, and framing kits reaching 2000 NH since the beginning of march.