In Gaza, heavy rains led to the collapse of a dirt hill onto the tents of displaced residents, resulting in the deaths of a woman and three children. This incident occurred as the winter rainy season began in Gaza, posing serious risks for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians.
Details of the Incident
Local doctors reported that heavy rainfall on Sunday night caused a rocky hill to collapse near a camp for displaced families in southern Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza. In this incident, a woman and her two children aged 8 and 6 lost their lives, and another 4-year-old child also perished. Six other individuals were injured in this incident.
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Videos that quickly circulated on social media show residents using hammers to break large rocks and soil, and then pulling out the bodies of individuals wrapped in blankets and bloody cloth from under the rubble.
Humanitarian Situation in Gaza
Amal Al-Zein, a relative of the victims, expressed the dire situation in Gaza, saying: "What can be said about the situation in Gaza? Those who survived the bombs and missiles are now dying from collapsing buildings and dirt hills."
Eyewitnesses also described the sound of the hill collapsing as similar to an explosion, stating that three tents were completely buried under the rubble, making it impossible to see the individuals trapped beneath.
Most of Gaza's 2 million population either lives in tent camps or in the ruins of bombed buildings, and reconstruction following the military attacks by Israel, which began after Hamas's attacks in 2023, has yet to start.
Local officials reported that at least 70,000 tents were flooded in the early hours after heavy rains began on Saturday. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs also reported that humanitarian partners have received requests from over 26,000 households complaining about damage to their shelters or belongings.
Despite efforts for a ceasefire by the United States and agreements on the reconstruction of Gaza, little progress has been made, and negotiators have been unable to reach an agreement on the disarmament of Hamas or the withdrawal of Israeli forces that control about two-thirds of the territory.
Mahmoud Basel, spokesperson for Gaza's Civil Defense Services, stated that people had set up their tents next to these hills of soil in the hope that they would provide protection. He added: "Tents cannot protect people from rain or heat; the only solution is reconstruction." Israel has stated that no reconstruction is possible before the disarmament of Hamas.
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