Gaza tragedy deepens as rain-triggered embankment collapse kills five, including three children

Gaza rains trigger deadly embankment collapse, killing three children and two women. (Photo/AP)

Five Palestinians, including three children and two women, have died after a sandy embankment collapsed onto tents housing displaced people in central Gaza amid heavy rains, the territory's civil defence agency said.

"A sandy embankment collapsed onto tents housing displaced people at a shelter centre south of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip," said Mahmud Bassal, spokesperson for Gaza's civil defence.

"Rescue teams are continuing to search for missing people," he said.

A 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 agency also warned displaced people against setting up tents or remaining near sand masses and elevated soil mounds, particularly during rainfall, saying these pose a threat to their lives.

It called on humanitarian organisations to provide the necessary equipment.

Heavy rains flood 70,000 tents

Heavy rain on Saturday flooded tens of thousands of displaced people's tents in devastated Gaza, Palestinian authorities said, leaving them without shelter.

In a statement, the government media office said about "70,000 tents sheltering tens of thousands of displaced people were flooded on the first day" of rain.

It also reported the collapse of dozens of cracked walls and roofs, which caused injuries, some critical, across the territory.

Since early Saturday, hundreds of displaced families have fled camps in parts of Gaza City and central and northern Gaza after being inundated by rainwater.

A fragile ceasefire came into effect in Gaza on October 10, 2025, after two years of genocide.

Israel’s genocidal war destroyed huge swathes of Gaza, leaving most of the population displaced and living in tents or other makeshift shelters.

Despite the ceasefire agreement reached, the Israeli army continues air strikes and a ground offensive against civilians in Gaza.

Source: TRT