Woman, 3 children killed in Gaza after sand embankment collapses onto tents

Heavy rain in Gaza triggered the collapse of a sand embankment onto tents, resulting in the deaths of four people, including a woman and her three children. The incident occurred in a camp for displaced families south of Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. According to medics, the torrential rain late on Sunday washed away the rocky sand bank that bordered the camp.

Video footage confirmed the tragedy, showing residents breaking apart large sandy rocks and using shovels to dig through the sand in search of trapped individuals, aided by flashlights. Amal Al-Zein, a relative of the victims, described the situation in Gaza, stating that those who did not perish from bombs and missiles were now dying from collapses, including sand and mountains.

Sohaib Abu Darbali, a witness, recalled the collapse sounding like an explosion, with three tents completely buried under the rubble, trapping people underneath. The heavy rain had caused tents housing displaced Palestinians to flood, with aid response hampered by shortages. Over 70,000 tents experienced flooding within the first hours of the rain, according to local authorities.

Despite a US-brokered ceasefire, progress on reconstruction remains minimal, with Hamas disarmament and Israeli troop withdrawal from two-thirds of Gaza's territory needed for progress. Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for Gaza’s civil defence service, emphasized that tents offer no protection against rain or heat, stressing that the only solution is reconstruction.