Gaza winter aid: ‘No more delay’, Fletcher tells governments stalling on support

“Foreign Ministers and partners have assured me of support, but also repeatedly said that progress would be hard until after Israeli elections. Now we’re told to wait for the formation of a Government,” he said. 

‘Not an acceptable excuse’

“In case anyone has any doubt about international humanitarian law: this is not an acceptable excuse, as the international community and Board of Peace have made clear,” Mr. Fletcher stressed. 

With winter underway, people living in Gaza are facing ever-harsher living conditions, including freezing temperatures and harsh storms which collapse or flood the tents thousands are living in. 

“What makes this even more infuriating is that they are at this needless risk from weather that is not a threat where decent shelter exists. And would not be such a threat had we been able to supply decent tents and essential Winter kit,” Mr. Fletcher said.

‘Clear plan’ weeks ago 

The UN relief chief stressed that the UN had a “clear plan” for which supplies need to reach Gaza, “not in weeks, but weeks ago,” with each delay costing lives. 

The list includes durable shelter, warm clothes, blankets, bedding and safe heating solutions, as well as generators, fuel, engine oil, spare parts, equipment to pump out water, remove debris and clear explosive ordnance. 

“No more delay. Open all the crossings, not just one. Let our vital NGO partners work. Allow the commercial markets to function. Stop this collective punishment. Fund the plan. End this predictable, preventable suffering,” he urged. 

Jobs needed, alongside aid

The UN’s labour agency (ILO) on Wednesday, called on international partners to increase their financial support for a jobs-led recovery plan in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), which aims to lay the conditions for long-term resilience and stability.

“Humanitarian assistance alone cannot restore livelihoods, essential services, or the institutional foundations needed for sustainable recovery,” said Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Ramiz Alakbarov.

In Gaza alone, 252,000 jobs were lost between the third quarters of 2023 and 2025, unemployment reached a staggering 85.1 per cent and labour income losses totalled $2.77 billion, with women and young people facing particularly limited prospects.

People behind the stats

“Behind every job lost is a person, a family and a future placed at risk,” said ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo. 

The ILO’s Decent Work and Recovery Programme (DWRP) supports emergency employment, enterprise recovery, social protection and stronger labour institutions to address the issue. 

Over the past three years, it has helped generate approximately 130,000 paid workdays and contributed to social allowances reaching over 30,000 older persons and persons with disabilities.