Three children and one woman were killed in central Gaza when a sand embankment collapsed onto tents following heavy rain, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Five injured people were also rescued following the incident on Sunday night at a displaced families camp south of Deir al-Balah, as videos showed men using phone torches to search beneath boulders and collapsed shelters.
Tragedy Highlights Dire Conditions
The Civil Defence service, operating under the Hamas-run interior ministry, stated that the incident should trigger urgent action from international organisations to supply safe shelters for displaced people. The agency urged that tents be moved away from sandy areas, slopes, and locations prone to collapse. Torrential rain on Saturday reportedly flooded tens of thousands of tents across Gaza, leaving many Palestinians without a dry place to sleep.
The Civil Defence reported that water levels reached up to 1.5m in some areas and that first responders could only reach 10% of the 2,100 distress calls received. Warning that tents must not become death traps beneath sand and rainwater, the service emphasized that protecting displaced lives is an urgent humanitarian responsibility.
The health ministry identified the dead woman as Tahrir Nabhan, while the children were named as Mariam Nabhan, her brother Salah, and Habiba al-Zein. The health ministry adjusted its initial death toll from Monday morning, confirming only one woman died alongside the three children.
Rescue Efforts and Aid Shortages
Mustafa al-Masri told BBC News that he and other rescuers used their bare hands to dig victims and survivors out of the sand and rubble. Describing the rescue as extremely wide and difficult, he recounted how the father arrived shouting for his children before they were pulled out and placed in an ambulance. Masri added that he had been displaced from Beit Hanoun and stayed in central Gaza because there was nowhere else to return to.
Karl Baker, the International Organization for Migration’s regional crisis co-ordinator, told BBC News that Gaza’s 2.1 million population is confined to just 30% of its total area, forcing people to live in abnormal, high-risk locations. He noted that the UN agency and partners are trying to provide enough tents, tarpaulins, and improved drainage, but warned that current aid falls drastically short of meeting demands.
UN agencies have called on Israeli authorities to allow specialized equipment and materials into Gaza to improve living conditions. Cogat, the Israeli military body handling coordination, stated that over 91,000 tents, 12 vacuum trucks, fuel, and engine oil have been delivered since the Gaza Winterization Plan began, though Israel restricts equipment that could be used for military purposes by Hamas and other armed groups.
The UN estimates that 80% of all structures in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged during the war, displacing more than 1.9 million people, with 1.2 million currently living in tents or makeshift shelters. Despite an October 2025 ceasefire, the UN warns that the humanitarian situation remains dire as continued air strikes and attacks cause further casualties, property damage, and displacement.
The conflict began following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which left about 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage. According to the territory’s health ministry, more than 74,640 people have since been killed in Gaza.
