Three Children, Two Women Killed in Sand Embankment Collapse in Gaza
GAZA CITY: Five Palestinians, including three children and two women, were reportedly killed after a sand embankment collapsed and buried tents housing displaced people following heavy rain in Gaza yesterday.
The Gaza Rescue Services Agency confirmed that the tragic incident occurred at a temporary shelter south of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
Gaza Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said the sand embankment suddenly collapsed onto a cluster of tents sheltering displaced families.
“Rescue teams are continuing search and rescue operations to locate other victims believed to be still buried beneath the debris,” Bassal said in an official statement.
Video footage circulating on social media showed dozens of local residents working tirelessly with hoes and attempting to remove concrete blocks to rescue those trapped beneath the debris.
Local authorities also issued a stern warning to affected residents against setting up tents near sand embankments or elevated ground during the rainy season due to the risk to their lives.
Heavy rain, which began on Saturday, flooded approximately 70,000 tents housing displaced people across the territory, leaving tens of thousands of residents without shelter.
The government media office reported several incidents involving cracked walls and collapsed building roofs in various areas, which also resulted in serious injuries among residents.
Hundreds of displaced families were forced to leave their temporary shelters in Gaza City and the northern and central parts of the territory after their camps were inundated.
Although a ceasefire came into effect in October 2025, brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the United States after two years of war, infrastructure destruction remains at a critical level.
Continued airstrikes and military operations have added to the suffering of hundreds of thousands of residents forced to seek shelter in poorly equipped tents while facing the threat of severe weather.
AGENSI