12 October 2025
‘Everything is a priority’ as bodies still lie in debris – Gaza aid workers
Amjad Shawa, head of the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO), described the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where people are in urgent need of shelter, clean water and medical care.
“Everything is a priority,” Shawa told DW. “It started with collecting bodies that were buried under the debris of their homes for months. In the last few days, hundreds of such bodies have been collected.”
Shawa welcomed the entry of commercial aid trucks from across the border into Gaza. But he stressed that shipments should also include shelter materials beyond food, as well as tents, blankets and mattresses as winter approaches.
“It’s cold at night for these kids,” he said. “He lost his clothes, everything.”
He also warned that the water infrastructure in Gaza has been destroyed, leaving only a very limited supply for drinking and daily use.
According to Shawa, about 82% of health facilities in the Gaza Strip were no longer functioning, and approximately 1,600 medical personnel were killed, while 360 others were detained by Israeli forces.
“Israel unleashed this chaos in Gaza,” he told DW.
Asked what specific risks returning residents faced, Shawa said many had already been injured by unexploded ordnance left in homes and neighborhoods.
He said, “We have already received several injured cases due to these unexploded devices left by the Israelis… We have spoken to the UN and international organizations to immediately send special teams and equipment.”
Shawwa said bulldozers and other heavy machinery were needed to clear debris blocking Gaza’s roads.
He estimated that 1.5 million Palestinians had lost their homes. Without a coordinated, rapid reconstruction plan, Shawa warned that displacement could last for years.