At least five Palestinians, including three children, were killed Sunday when a sand cliff collapsed on tents sheltering displaced families in Deir al‑Balah in central Gaza, Xinhua reported. The collapse was caused by heavy rain, according to a spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense, Mahmoud Basal, and injured several others, some seriously.
Rescue teams are continuing to search for missing people, the spokesperson added. The incident occurred one day after a low‑pressure weather system flooded the region, forcing roughly 70,000 tents into the water, a figure reported by Xinhua.
WAFA’s latest update states the death toll remains at five as search and rescue crews work to locate those still missing. Both outlets note that the collapse took place at a shelter center that had been receiving families displaced by the recent storm surge.
