IDF says more than 93,000 tents have entered Gaza ahead of winter

More than 93,000 tents and over 8,600 trucks loaded with winter supplies have been brought into the Gaza Strip since preparations for the cold season started, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson. The military said the effort is being run together with COGAT, the Israeli body that coordinates civilian matters in the Palestinian territories, alongside the Board of Peace, the United Nations, international organisations and donor countries.

In a post on X, the IDF added that 16 sewage vacuum trucks have entered the territory, that work is under way on sewage, drainage and water systems, and that hundreds of trucks carrying medical equipment and medicines have crossed in recent weeks. The Jerusalem Post, citing the IDF, reported that thousands of further tents reached the Strip over the past week, and its coverage also carried the military's accusation that Hamas is exploiting aid.

Who is involved

The IDF is Israel's military. COGAT, short for Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, is the unit within Israel's defence establishment responsible for civilian coordination, including the movement of goods and humanitarian supplies into Gaza. Statements about aid volumes entering the Strip are routinely issued by COGAT or by the IDF spokesperson, and they are a main public source of figures on what crosses into the territory.

The Board of Peace is named in the IDF statement as one of the partners in the winter effort. The military lists it first among those it works with, ahead of the UN, other international organisations and donor states. The reports do not describe the board's specific role in the tent and supply deliveries.

What the military says has entered

The figures published by the IDF fall into three broad areas:

• Shelter: more than 93,000 tents since winter preparations began, with the Jerusalem Post reporting, on the IDF's account, thousands more in the most recent week.
• Sanitation: 16 sewage vacuum trucks, plus repairs to sewage, drainage and water infrastructure.
• Health: hundreds of truckloads of medical equipment and medicines in recent weeks, described by the military as part of strengthening medical services.

The IDF also gave a total of more than 8,600 trucks carrying winter supplies. The statements do not break that figure down by type of cargo, and it is not clear from the material whether the tents and medical shipments are counted within it or separately.

Why winter matters in Gaza

Shelter, drainage and sewage are the categories the military chose to highlight, and they are the ones most directly tied to the cold and wet months. Tents provide basic cover for people without other housing, while vacuum trucks and drainage repairs address standing water and wastewater, which become harder to manage when rain arrives. The IDF framed the deliveries as an ongoing programme rather than a single shipment, describing the effort as continuing.

The Hamas accusation

The Jerusalem Post's report presented the supply figures together with the IDF's claim that Hamas is exploiting aid. The material available to us does not set out what form that alleged exploitation takes, what evidence the military offered for it, or whether it relates to the winter supplies specifically. We are reporting it as an IDF allegation, carried by the Jerusalem Post, and nothing more.

What the reports do not say

Every figure in this article originates with the Israeli military, whether published directly by the IDF or relayed by the Jerusalem Post; no response or independent count from the UN, the Board of Peace, aid organisations or Palestinian authorities appears in the material. The reports do not say how the supplies are distributed once inside Gaza, which crossings were used, or whether the volumes meet the needs aid groups have identified. No evidence is given in the material for the claim that Hamas is exploiting aid.