Individual signatories' names and details will not be made publicly available.

We hope to bring together Australian healthcare, humanitarian, human rights and community organisations in support of this urgent appeal.

Organisations wishing to endorse this open letter are invited to email us:

AusHealthAllianceforPalestine@proton.me

GAZA NEEDS SAFE SHELTER NOW

Joint Open Letter to the Australian Government

8 November 2026

To: The Prime Minister of Australia and the Minister for Foreign Affairs

cc: Minister for International Development

Subject: Urgent Australian intervention required to secure the entry of caravans, mobile homes and emergency shelter into Gaza

Dear Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs,

We, the undersigned Australian healthcare, humanitarian, human rights, professional and community organisations, together with members of the Australian public, write to demand urgent Australian Government intervention in response to the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza following the recent heavy rainfall and widespread flooding of displacement camps.

On 7 November 2026, torrential rain inundated thousands of tents sheltering displaced Palestinian families. Reports describe families desperately attempting to protect their children and belongings as floodwater entered their makeshift shelters, soaking mattresses, blankets, clothing and food.

These scenes are devastating. But they cannot be understood in isolation.

The flooding in Gaza is occurring against the backdrop of more than three years of devastating Israeli military operations, mass displacement, destruction of civilian infrastructure, prolonged restrictions on humanitarian assistance, and what the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry has concluded constitutes genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

The systematic destruction of homes, hospitals, healthcare facilities, water networks and sanitation infrastructure has left much of Gaza's population without the basic conditions necessary for human survival.

Families who have already endured repeated displacement, bereavement, hunger, injury and deprivation are now facing winter in fragile, overcrowded tents that provide little protection against rainfall, cold or disease.

The rain may be a natural event, but the scale of this humanitarian disaster is not inevitable. It is inseparable from the destruction of Gaza's civilian infrastructure and the continuing obstacles to the entry of essential shelter and reconstruction materials.

Palestinian organisations have already sounded the alarm. The international community must respond.

On 7 November, the Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO) issued an urgent appeal calling for immediate international intervention, the unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance, the entry of essential shelter materials, fuel and medical supplies, and the restoration of essential infrastructure.

On the same day, the International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) called specifically for the urgent entry of caravans, temporary housing units, weather-resistant shelters, heating supplies, water pumps, rescue equipment and materials required to rehabilitate Gaza's infrastructure.

The Gaza Center for Human Rights has similarly called for crossings to be opened to allow the immediate entry of temporary housing and emergency shelter supplies.

We call on the Australian Government to listen to these Palestinian voices and act upon their demands without delay.

Essential shelter supplies are available, but continue to be denied entry into Gaza.

The urgency of these appeals is compounded by evidence that international humanitarian organisations have already prepared substantial quantities of shelter supplies that remain unable to enter Gaza.

In October 2026, the International Organization for Migration reported that approximately 8,600 emergency shelter kits positioned outside Gaza had repeatedly been denied entry by Israeli authorities. The Norwegian Refugee Council has documented rejected shipments of shelter materials and warned that restrictions could delay the delivery of essential winter supplies for months.

On 8 November 2026, Save the Children reported that caravans envisaged under ceasefire arrangements had repeatedly been blocked from entering Gaza, while essential tents, shelter kits and fuel remained at the borders.

This is not simply a question of inadequate humanitarian funding or a shortage of supplies. It is also a question of access.

Caravans, prefabricated housing units, emergency shelter materials and the equipment necessary to restore essential infrastructure must be permitted to enter Gaza without further delay.

Australia must use its diplomatic influence to demand the immediate clearance of humanitarian shelter shipments and the removal of restrictions preventing the delivery of safe, dignified temporary accommodation.

As healthcare professionals and concerned members of the Australian community, we are particularly alarmed by the foreseeable medical consequences of leaving families exposed to cold, flooding and contaminated water.

Infants and young children are particularly vulnerable to hypothermia and respiratory illness. Overcrowding, damaged sewage systems and contaminated floodwater increase the risk of diarrhoeal disease, skin infections and other communicable illnesses.

For people already weakened by malnutrition, injury, disability and chronic disease, these conditions can become life-threatening.

These are preventable public health threats. Their prevention requires safe shelter, functioning sanitation, clean water and accessible healthcare.

Our urgent demands

We call on the Australian Government to:

1. Secure the immediate entry of caravans, mobile homes and prefabricated housing units into Gaza.

The provision of safe, weather-resistant temporary accommodation must be an immediate humanitarian priority. Tents alone cannot provide adequate protection for families facing repeated flooding and winter conditions.

2. Demand the unrestricted entry of essential winter and shelter supplies.

This must include waterproof tents, insulated blankets, mattresses, warm clothing, safe heating equipment, fuel, and the materials required to repair damaged shelters.

3. Facilitate emergency flood mitigation and restoration of sanitation infrastructure.

Water pumps, generators, heavy machinery, drainage equipment, sewage repair materials and construction supplies must be permitted to enter Gaza immediately.

4. Provide urgent Australian humanitarian funding and technical assistance.

Australia should commit additional resources to emergency housing, winterisation, clean water, sanitation, disease prevention and healthcare, in coordination with Palestinian humanitarian organisations and relevant UN agencies.

5. Use Australia's diplomatic influence to secure unhindered humanitarian access.

The Australian Government must make urgent diplomatic representations to Israel and work through relevant international mechanisms to ensure the safe, sustained and sufficient entry of humanitarian supplies, temporary housing and reconstruction equipment.

6. Support the protection of Palestinian civilians and their right to remain on their land.

Emergency shelter and reconstruction must support the safety, dignity and continued presence of Palestinians in Gaza, without facilitating forced displacement or undermining their rights.

7. Uphold Australia's obligations under international law.

Australia must take meaningful steps consistent with its obligations under the Genocide Convention and international humanitarian law, including the duty to prevent genocide and to support the protection of civilians and humanitarian access.

8. Provide an urgent and transparent public response.

We request that the Australian Government outline the specific diplomatic representations it has made, the humanitarian assistance it will provide, and the steps it will take to facilitate the entry of caravans, mobile homes and other essential supplies.

We stand in solidarity with Palestinian civil society organisations calling for urgent international action. We urge the Australian Government to respond to their appeals with concrete measures, not expressions of concern alone.

Caravans and mobile homes must enter Gaza now.

Yours sincerely,

Initiated by:

Australian Health Alliance for Palestine

Endorsed by:

Academics for Palestine (South Australia)

Academics for Palestine (Western Australia)

Amnesty International Australia

ANMF Victoria for Palestine

Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand Doctors for Palestine

Australia Palestine Advocacy network (APAN)

Australian Friends of Palestine Association (AFOPA)

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights

Civil Liberties Defence Centre

Friends of Palestine Tablelands

Friends of Palestine Tasmania

Friends of Sabeel Australia

Glimmer of Hope (South Australia)

Health and Community Services Union - Tasmania Branch

Healthcare Workers for Palestine (Queensland)

Healthcare workers for Palestine (South Australia)

Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN)

Islamic Society of South Australia

Liberty Victoria

Medical Association for Prevention of War(Australia)

Muslim Votes Matter

Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF)

Palestinian Australian New Zealand Medical Association (PANZMA)

Palestine Israel Ecumenical Network

Port Phillip for Palestine

Tasmanian Palestine Advocacy Network

The Australian Palestinian Community Association (APCA)

Women in Black Adelaide