Five people died in the besieged territory on Sunday after a sandbank collapsed onto their tent in Deir el-Balah. The victims included four children and a woman, and two other individuals are missing.
The landslide occurred after heavy rains brought by the first winter storm of the year struck the region on Friday. Floodwaters inundated makeshift tents and weakened structures that had already sustained damage from previous Israeli air raids.
Severe restrictions enforced by the military left specialist search and rescue equipment in short supply. Local residents dug through the debris using their bare hands in frantic attempts to reach survivors.
Reporting from Deir el-Balah, journalists stated that the victims had been living in flimsy tents on exposed ground without any protection from the heavy rainfall. When the embankment gave way, the trapped residents had no chance to escape.
Roughly 70,000 tents were flooded when the storm swept across the territory over the weekend. Data from Save the Children shows that more than half a million children are currently living in critical or catastrophic shelter conditions.
Save the Children released a statement pointing to the previous ceasefire agreement announced over a year ago. That agreement stipulated the entry of caravans as a durable alternative to tents, but Israeli authorities have blocked their entry, leaving hundreds of thousands of children exposed to another harsh winter.
The Gaza Government Media Office issued a statement on Monday condemning global inaction. The office stated that the tragedy should shame the conscience of humanity and reflected the abandonment faced by the population.
Authorities in Gaza held Israel, the United States, and the wider international community directly responsible for the deaths. The statement cited silence regarding ongoing crimes and complicity in blocking the entry of shelter supplies, construction materials, caravans, fuel, and spare parts needed to operate municipal and civil defence machinery.
The media office also denounced the absence of the Board of Peace and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza. Officials questioned the purpose of these bodies, describing them as passive observers facing the severe suffering of the Palestinian people.
More than 74,600 people have been killed since the war began on October 7, 2023, following a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel. Since a ceasefire took effect in October 2025, Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,600 Palestinians.
