Nowhere to Call Home: A Mother’s Strength Amid Winter in Gaza

Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territory – Maher sits on his mother’s lap, his small hands gripping the edges of her scarf as he peers out, frowning at the tent above him. 

“I don’t like this tent,” he says with a shy smile.

Maha looks at her son and understands. How could he? He once had a home – a place with walls, a roof, and a safe space for his toys. Now, all he sees is a fragile shelter that barely keeps out the cold. 

“Why don’t you put a tarp on the ceiling?” he asks, his voice soft and curious. Only in Gaza do children this young understand shelter construction. They have grown up surrounded by destruction, many having watched their own homes collapse before their eyes. 

Maha fled northern Gaza after being injured. Because she left late, she witnessed horrors no one should ever see. 

“When we were in the north, we saw bodies... people being eaten by stray dogs and cats,” she says, her voice heavy with grief. 

Now, she feels trapped in a cycle of hardship, unable to ease her children’s suffering or shield them from the bitter cold, especially in winter. The rain seeps through the thin fabric of their tent, bringing new struggles to an already unbearable reality. 

Like Maha, thousands of families in Gaza are facing winter in makeshift shelters, struggling to stay warm and safe. They are living the harsh reality of displacement, seeking safety in shelters that offer little more than protection from the elements. With the support of humanitarian aid, including shelter materials and essential supplies, they are holding onto hope, one day at a time. 

Maha’s displacement was a nightmare. She sought refuge in a school, but it was bombed. She lost everything she owned and was forcibly separated from her husband at a checkpoint. His fate remains unknown.

Left to care for her children alone, Maha found herself with nothing – no shelter, no clothing, and no sense of security. “I’m going in circles, unable to provide even the basic necessities for my children,” she says. 

Winter has made everything worse. The rain has turned the ground into mud, soaking through flimsy coverings and drenching their few belongings. “When it rains, it’s chaos. Even a little rain turns the area into a pool,” she explains. 

Through humanitarian support, Maha finally received a tent – a turning point in their struggle for survival. “The tent has been a blessing. At least now my children and I have a place to shelter. Before we received it, we were living on the streets,” she says.

Along with the tent came mattresses and blankets. “The tent is waterproof and the tarpaulin is integrated, which makes a huge difference.” 

“I close the tent’s doors to keep stray animals out,” Maha says. 

Yet, the needs are overwhelming. According to OCHA, over 1.9 million people in Gaza are internally displaced. Shelter remains one of the most urgent needs for Palestinian families. Like Maha, thousands of families in Gaza are braving winter in makeshift shelters, struggling to stay warm and safe. IOM’s emergency shelter and essential supplies offer critical support as they endure unimaginable hardship. 

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is providing emergency shelter and vital supplies to Gaza, offering displaced families a lifeline amid the ongoing crisis. Since October 2023, IOM has delivered over 1.5 million shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and other essential supplies, utilizing its extensive global logistics network.

Once there, this aid is distributed to those in need by partners on the ground. The supplies are sourced through a variety of channels, including bilateral partnerships, in-kind donations and IOM’s Common Pipeline Programme. 

Launched in March 2024, IOM’s Common Pipeline Programme supplies high-quality emergency aid to vetted local partners, enabling them to focus resources on assessments and distributions within the community. By streamlining procurement and supply chain processes, it ensures faster, more efficient aid delivery.

Since the first phase of the ceasefire took effect on 19 January and until the most recent aid blockade on 1 March, IOM has delivered over 479,000 aid items to partners in Gaza, focusing on tents and tarps to address the overwhelming shelter needs as people took advantage of the reduced hostilities to return to their destroyed homes. Through winter the focus has been on winterization assistance to support families stay warm and dry through freezing conditions. 

The resumption of war and decision to halt aid to Gaza endangers the lives of over two million Palestinians enduring nearly a year and half of devastating conflict. Alongside partners, IOM calls for the ceasefire to be restored and sustained, uninterrupted delivery of critical humanitarian aid. 

“I wish things could go back to normal,” Maha says, “I dream of this war ending so we can return home to the north.”