Five Displaced People Killed as Sandbank Collapses Onto Tent in Gaza After Heavy Rain

The update

Five displaced people, including children, were killed in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza after heavy rain caused a sandbank to collapse onto their tent, authorities in Gaza said. Rescue teams continued searching for people reported missing after the collapse on Sunday, digging with limited equipment. The deaths came as Gaza’s first winter storm brought heavy rain and flooding from Friday, inundating about 70,000 tents sheltering displaced families, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office.

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Why it matters

Most of Gaza’s population remains displaced and living in tents or makeshift shelters after two years of war, and floodwaters have also weakened buildings already damaged by Israeli air raids. Save the Children said more than half a million children are living in critical or catastrophic shelter conditions, and said durable caravans stipulated under the ceasefire have repeatedly been blocked from entering Gaza. Gaza’s Government Media Office held Israel, the United States and the international community responsible, citing restrictions on shelter supplies and equipment, and condemned global inaction.

What to watch

Rescuers are still searching the collapsed embankment in Deir el-Balah, and authorities have warned people not to pitch tents near sand mounds or elevated ground during rainfall. Further rain could bring more collapses and flooding in camps across Gaza, where families have little protection from winter weather.

Sources

• aljazeera.com — confirms the five deaths, the Deir el-Balah collapse, the missing and the flooded tents
• euronews.com — confirms the civil defence account, the rescue search and the 70,000 flooded tents

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