Gaza rescuers say five killed after storm collapses sand mound onto tents

Gaza's rescue service reported on November 9 that five individuals, including three children and two women, lost their lives due to a sand mound collapsing onto tents at a shelter center south of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. The incident occurred following heavy rains that began the day before. Mahmud Bassal, spokesperson for Gaza's civil defence, stated that rescue teams were still searching for missing people.

A video shared on social media depicted numerous men attempting to lift a large stone slab while others dug beneath it using shovels. The agency also cautioned displaced people against setting up tents or remaining near sand masses and elevated soil mounds, especially during periods of rainfall, as these pose a significant threat to their lives.

Humanitarian organizations were urged to supply the necessary equipment. On Saturday, intense rainfall flooded thousands of displaced people's tents in war-torn Gaza, leaving them without shelter. The Hamas-run government media office reported that approximately "70,000 tents sheltering tens of thousands of displaced people were flooded on the first day" of the rains.

The office also noted that "dozens of cracked walls and roofs collapsed, causing injuries," some of which were critical, in various areas of the territory. Since early Saturday, hundreds of displaced families have fled camps in parts of Gaza City and the central and northern areas due to the inundation by rainwater. A fragile ceasefire had been in effect in Gaza since October 10, 2025, following two years of war that began with Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

The war had caused extensive destruction in the territory, leaving the majority of the population displaced, often residing in tents or makeshift shelters. Although the ceasefire agreement, reached with Egyptian, Qatari, and US mediation, was in place, the Israeli army continued to carry out airstrikes and ground operations nearly daily, targeting what it claims are Hamas operatives.