A severe storm that swept through the Gaza Strip on Sunday caused a sandstone slab to collapse onto tents housing displaced families, killing five people, according to Gaza's civil defence. The incident occurred near an elevated soil mound at a shelter centre south of Deir al-Balah, in the central part of the territory.
Mahmud Bassal, spokesperson for Gaza's civil defence, confirmed the deaths of three children and two women. “A sandy embankment collapsed onto tents housing displaced people at a shelter centre south of Deir al-Balah,” he said. “Rescue teams are continuing to search for missing people.”
Video footage circulating on social media showed dozens of men at the scene, some attempting to lift a large stone slab while others dug beneath it with shovels. The civil defence agency warned displaced people against setting up tents or staying near sand masses and elevated soil mounds, particularly during rainfall, describing these as “a real threat to their lives.” It also called on humanitarian organisations to provide the necessary equipment to mitigate such risks.
Flooding compounds misery for displaced families
The storm brought heavy rains that flooded thousands of tents across Gaza, worsening the already dire conditions for the territory's displaced population. The Hamas-run government media office said that around 70,000 tents sheltering tens of thousands of people were flooded on the first day of the rains. It also reported the collapse of dozens of cracked walls and roofs, causing injuries, some critical, in various areas.
Over the weekend, hundreds of displaced families began fleeing camps in parts of Gaza City and other areas after their shelters were destroyed by the floods. The storm has added a new layer of hardship to a population already grappling with the aftermath of a devastating war.
The fragile ceasefire that came into effect on 10 October 2025 has held, but the humanitarian situation remains catastrophic. Most of Gaza's population has been displaced, many living in tents or makeshift shelters after two years of conflict that began with the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent Israeli military campaign.
In a related development, a Gaza engineer has built a wind turbine to provide electricity for displaced families' tents, a small but notable effort to alleviate the energy crisis in the camps. Meanwhile, the storm's impact has drawn attention to the vulnerability of these temporary shelters, which are ill-equipped to withstand even moderate weather events.
The civil defence agency's warning underscores the urgent need for more robust shelter solutions. Humanitarian organisations have been called upon to supply equipment such as tents that can withstand heavy rain and wind, as well as tools to reinforce embankments and prevent similar collapses.
As rescue operations continue, the death toll may rise. The incident has also sparked concerns about the approaching winter, when storms are more frequent and intense. Displaced families, already living in precarious conditions, face the prospect of further flooding and structural failures.
The storm in Gaza comes as other parts of the region experience severe weather, with storms battering Greek islands and closing schools. While the situations are different, they highlight the broader challenges of extreme weather across the eastern Mediterranean.
For now, the focus remains on the immediate aftermath in Deir al-Balah, where rescue teams are sifting through debris in search of any missing persons. The international community has been urged to step up assistance, not only for emergency relief but also for long-term solutions to the housing crisis in Gaza.
