Nearly one million civilians in Gaza continue residing in tents as summer arrives in 2026, based on a fresh assessment from the Norwegian Refugee Council.

Although the US and UN-supported peace initiative for Gaza advances gradually toward its objectives, numerous obstacles persist for residents in the area. Hamas maintains control over roughly half of Gaza.

All two million civilians in Gaza must live under Hamas authority and lack any alternative zone with a different administration. The US-backed initiative foresees rebuilding efforts alongside a new Palestinian technocratic government.

The Norwegian Refugee Council stated in its June 18 report that as Gaza enters the hot summer period, Israel's demolition of residences and limits on shelter supplies have confined displaced families to dangerously warm tents and temporary structures, according to the Shelter Cluster in Palestine.

The assessment indicates 170,000 households reside in tents, equating to about one million individuals.

Another 5,000 households sleep outside, while 52,000 households occupy overcrowded shelters. This month, 850,000 people still lack basic emergency shelter supplies such as plastic sheeting, plywood, and rope. These numbers highlight a shelter emergency caused by destruction, displacement, and restricted aid, the report noted.

Threat of summer heat may prove deadly

The greatest difficulty for civilians, already enduring 987 days of conflict, involves facing another summer of intense heat inside tents.

Summer heat will only heighten the dangers families encounter, with daytime temperatures hitting 34.5 degrees Celsius in the peak month and more days expected above 35 degrees Celsius, the report stated.

Such extreme heat carries potential lethal risks.

Basic steps like shading, ventilation, and simple shelter upgrades can greatly lower dangers and enhance conditions, yet these remain unavailable inside Gaza and are intentionally blocked from entry, Jehan Salim, a Shelter Cluster Coordinator, told the NRC.

It is unacceptable that families in Gaza, following months of displacement and loss, now confront summer heat in makeshift tents because Israel keeps restricting shelter materials, added Jan Egeland, Norwegian Refugee Council Secretary General, in the NRC statement.

The main issue for civilians is the need for improved tents and additional supplies.

The report specifies these include shade nets, plastic sheeting, and basic repair items. Such materials will not reconstruct Gaza, but they can distinguish between a tent that traps heat, smoke, dust, and illness, and a shelter offering shade, airflow, privacy, and some protection.

The Norwegian Refugee Council notes that it leads the Shelter Cluster in Palestine, which coordinates humanitarian shelter actors responding to emergency shelter needs in Gaza and the West Bank.

The report added that according to the UN, around 1.7 million people lived across roughly 1,600 displacement sites by late May, with 88 percent in makeshift sites. According to the UN, 850,000 people needed emergency shelter items by early June.

Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories noted on Sunday that as part of Israel's commitment to facilitating the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, COGAT works together with UN agencies to facilitate relief in different fields.

The report noted that UNICEF recently announced that they brought in clothing for over 30,000 Gazan children, alongside additional medical equipment. Moreover, UNDP published visuals documenting the agricultural crops grown in the Al-Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City.

COGAT continues to strengthen humanitarian response in Gaza

COGAT, which deals with humanitarian aid entering Gaza, noted that it continues to work in close coordination with its partners in the international community to strengthen the humanitarian response in the Gaza Strip.

COGAT also said on Friday that it continues to support humanitarian efforts across Gaza. According to data from international organizations working in Gaza, more than 1.7 million meals are served daily, over 3.6 million pitas are baked daily, and 181 community kitchens are currently operating throughout the Gaza Strip. At the same time, market activity continues to expand, contributing to greater availability of food and essential goods while helping drive prices downward.

Meanwhile, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote a new article at the Financial Times supporting the current US-backed plan for Gaza.

This is the 20-point plan that the Trump administration was able to initiate after talks with Arab and Muslim states and Israel in September 2025. The ceasefire began in October and US CENTCOM helped set up a coordination center. There is now also a logistics center, and the International Stabilization Force is taking its first steps.

There is no alternative framework waiting in the wings. The 20-point plan is not the one many of us would have drafted, but it remains the only framework backed by sufficient leverage, political engagement, and potential resources to move the parties towards implementation, Clinton noted.

The Board of Peace, which was established as part of the peace plan, posted the Clinton piece, noting it was a powerful op-ed that echoes what we have been saying consistently and forcefully: Now is the time for the whole world to get behind the president's plan for peace, prosperity and reconstruction in Gaza. Put your politics aside and support the Board of Peace for the good of the people of Gaza who have suffered too long.