Five people, including children, were killed Sunday when a rain-soaked embankment collapsed onto tents for displaced Palestinians in central Gaza, local authorities said while blaming Israeli restrictions on building materials for leaving families exposed.
"A sandy embankment collapsed onto tents housing displaced people at a shelter south of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip," said Mahmud Bassal, spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defense service.
"Rescue teams are continuing to search for missing people," he added.
Others were injured in the collapse, according to the service. Video circulating on social media showed dozens of men at the scene, some trying to lift a large stone slab while others dug beneath it with shovels.
The civil defense service warned displaced families against pitching tents or remaining near sand embankments and elevated mounds of soil during rainfall, saying they posed a threat to life. It also called on humanitarian organizations to provide equipment needed for rescue operations.
Heavy rain and strong winds battered Gaza over the weekend, flooding camps and forcing hundreds of displaced families to flee shelters in Gaza City and the central and northern parts of the territory.
The Gaza media office said about 70,000 tents had flooded during the storm’s initial hours. It also reported the collapse of dozens of damaged walls and roofs, causing injuries, some critical.
Palestinian resistance group Hamas said Israel bore "full responsibility" for the deaths in Deir al-Balah, arguing that its blockade and restrictions on aid, tents and other shelter supplies had deprived displaced families of safe accommodation.
It also cited restrictions on building materials and equipment needed to repair and reconstruct homes.
Hamas accused Israel of forcing more than 2 million Palestinians from their homes and confining them to less than a third of Gaza in overcrowded camps and shelters lacking basic safety measures. It warned that the combination of overcrowding and severe weather could cause further humanitarian disasters.
The group called for international intervention to end the war, lift the blockade and allow humanitarian aid and reconstruction supplies into Gaza so families could return to safe homes. It also urged the United Nations and aid organizations to take action to protect civilians.
Israel's two-year genocidal war devastated Gaza’s homes and infrastructure, displacing most of its population and leaving many families living in tents or other makeshift shelters.
A fragile cease-fire took effect Oct. 10, 2025, following mediation by Egypt, Qatar and the United States. Israeli restrictions on shelter supplies, building materials and reconstruction equipment have continued despite the agreement.
The Israeli military also continues to conduct airstrikes and ground operations almost daily against what it says are Hamas members.
Israel's killed over 74,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in its Gaza genocide, which was triggered by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas incursion.
