Emergency shelter support to IDPs in Gaza ltpgtOn October 7, 2023, a morning attack on Israel was followed by bombardment of Gaza. Since then, sustained bombardment of Gaza has continued until the brief humanitarian pause from November 24 until December 1, 2023, after which the bombardment resumed and worsened in southern Gaza. Israel is also carrying out a ground invasion inside Gaza. Nearly 1.9 million Gazans, 85% of the population, are internally displaced. Women, men, girls, and boys across Gaza have lost their homes and belongings, as nearly 70% of the housing stock has been damaged and destroyed. Households (HHs) need support to access safe and dignified shelter.ltbrgtAligned with the occupied Palestinian Territories (oPt) Humanitarian Fund, 1st Reserve Allocation for 2023, and the objectives of the Shelter Cluster, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and local partner Bayader Society for Environment and Development (“Bayader”) will implement an emergency response project focusing on providing temporary and winter-appropriate shelter support. The project will focus its support on Gazans living in critical shelters, including non-UN designated emergency shelters or their surroundings, and self-settled households. CRS and Bayader will provide tents to 660 displaced households without shelter (3,300 people) and provide sealing-off kits (SOKs) and cash for emergency shelter or emergency shelter kits (ESKs) permitting market and importation allowances to 1,775 unique displaced and affected households (10,650 people). In total CRS will support 2,435 affected households (13,950 people). In addition, CRS will provide 125 SOK to selected designated emergency shelters that are not served by any other actor, to help them ensure minimum adequate services for IDPs sheltering there.  SOKs and ESKs are a cost-effective way to rapidly reach large numbers of affected families with life-saving shelter assistance and can also assist as part of a longer, incremental approach. SOKs and ESKs provide families with an essential package of items to seal their living space as a short-term shelter solution. They provide climate protection by closing openings providing some protection from rain, wind, heat, cold, and dust, they improve privacy and dignity within the shelter and improve security.ltbrgtDuring project start-up, CRS will validate the most relevant shelter materials based on need, context, and availability. The project will leverage CRS’ current supply chain pathway to procure and distribute tents and critical shelter kits to vulnerable IDPs in a safe and effective manner. If feasible, and as the Gaza market permits, the project will also utilize CRS’ existing Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) transfer system to provide unrestricted cash or e- vouchers to participants to enable the purchasing of self-help construction items, including timber and tools. The self-help approach will encourage the use of local skills and resources to assist emergency efforts and reduce reliance on imported solutions. CRS will offer either CVA or in-kind assistance and participants will complete the work, with CRS’ light technical support as the context allows. The choice of CVA or in-kind will be determined by the results of a shelter market assessment.  ltbrgtCRS will deliver assistance to families in addition to providing light-touch technical support, compliance oversight, and support to local partner Bayader. The project will coordinate closely with the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) to identify eligible IDP HHs. CRS will share the lists of potential participants with other humanitarian actors through the Shelter Cluster to avoid duplication. CRS and Bayader will also compile and maintain a list of social service providers, including protection and gender-based violence (GBV) resources and a list of Organizations for Disabled Persons (ODPs). When a participant requires additional support outside the project scope, the project will share details about available services in their community.ltbrgtlt/pgt