Four killed in Gaza after sand embankment collapses onto tents, health ministry says

What the report says

Three children and one woman were killed in central Gaza after a sand embankment collapsed onto tents during heavy rain, according to the Hamas-run health ministry cited by BBC World News. The incident happened on Sunday night at a camp for displaced families south of Deir al-Balah, with rescuers also reportedly pulling out five injured people. BBC’s report said the collapse followed a day of severe weather that had already flooded tens of thousands of tents across Gaza.

The article said rescuers searched through sand, boulders and collapsed shelter material, using phone lights and their hands because of limited equipment. A civil defence official described the event as a humanitarian emergency and urged international organisations to help provide safer shelter and move tents away from unstable ground, slopes and sandy areas. The ministry later identified the dead as Tahrir Nabhan, Mariam Nabhan, her brother Salah, and Habiba al-Zein.

The BBC report placed the tragedy in the wider context of mass displacement in Gaza, where many families are living in tents or temporary shelters after extensive destruction during the war. It also noted that aid agencies are warning that current supplies and infrastructure are inadequate for winter conditions, even as deliveries of tents and other materials continue under the Israeli-coordinated winterization effort. The situation remains severe for civilians seeking shelter and basic protection from rain, flooding and unstable terrain.