Three children and a woman were killed when a sand embankment collapsed onto tents for displaced families in central Gaza following heavy rain, the Hamas-run health ministry said Monday. The incident occurred Sunday night at a camp south of Deir al-Balah, with five injured people reportedly rescued.
The woman was identified as Tahrir Nabhan, and the children were named as Mariam Nabhan, her brother Salah, and Habiba al-Zein. The Civil Defence initially reported three children and two women killed, but the health ministry said Monday morning that only one woman was among the dead.
Videos showed men using phone torches to search for survivors beneath boulders, sand and collapsed tents. Mustafa al-Masri told the BBC he and other rescuers used their bare hands to dig victims and survivors from the sand and rubble. “It was extremely difficult. This mound was huge and wide. It collapsed onto the tent, and we didn't know what to do,” he said. “Their father arrived shouting, 'My children, my children, my children, my children.' We pulled his children out, put them in the ambulance, and took them to the hospital.”
The Civil Defence described the event as a "humanitarian tragedy" and called for urgent international action to provide safe shelters for displaced people and move tents away from sandy areas, slopes and locations at risk of collapse.
Torrential rain on Saturday reportedly flooded tens of thousands of tents across Gaza. The Civil Defence said water reached up to 1.5 metres (4.9 feet) in some places and that its first responders could respond to only 10 percent of the 2,100 distress calls received. "Protecting the lives of displaced people is an urgent humanitarian responsibility. Their tents must not become death traps beneath sand and rainwater," it warned.
Karl Baker, regional crisis coordinator for the International Organization for Migration, told the BBC from Gaza that Gaza's 2.1 million population was confined to only 30 percent of its total area and that many were "unfortunately living in areas which would not be normal if we were not in this time of conflict." He said aid entering Gaza was insufficient, describing it as "the very smallest of Band-Aids [plasters]." "We need more support, in-kind donations. We need funding in order to help the communities to help themselves," he said. "We need a lot more to happen."
UN agencies have called on Israeli authorities to allow in specialist equipment and materials to improve living conditions. Cogat, the Israeli military body coordinating deliveries, said Sunday that more than 91,000 tents, 12 vacuum trucks, and fuel for pumping facilities have been delivered since the start of the Gaza Winterization Plan, but that Israel would not permit entry of equipment that could be used for military purposes by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups.
The UN estimates 80 percent of structures in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged during the war, with more than 1.9 million people displaced, 1.2 million of them currently in tents or makeshift shelters. The Gaza war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Since then, more than 74,640 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory's health ministry, whose figures the UN considers reliable.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The collapse highlights the extreme vulnerability of displaced families living in precarious conditions with inadequate shelter, especially as winter rains create new hazards.
- International aid remains insufficient to meet basic needs, with the UN warning that the humanitarian situation remains dire despite the October 2025 ceasefire.
- The incident underscores the difficulty of providing safe housing in a densely populated strip where most infrastructure has been destroyed and access to equipment is restricted.
Background
The Gaza war began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. Since then, more than 74,640 people have been killed in Gaza according to the Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures the UN considers reliable. A ceasefire agreed in October 2025 has not stopped Israeli air strikes and other attacks, which the UN says continue to cause casualties and displacement. The UN estimates 80% of structures in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged, and 1.2 million people are living in tents or makeshift shelters.
Key Perspectives
Hamas-run Civil Defence: said the "humanitarian tragedy" should prompt urgent international action to provide safe shelters and move tents away from risky areas. It warned tents must not become "death traps beneath sand and rainwater."
International Organization for Migration: Karl Baker said aid currently entering Gaza was insufficient, calling it "the very smallest of Band-Aids" and urging more support and funding.
Israeli military (Cogat): said it has delivered more than 91,000 tents, 12 vacuum trucks, and fuel for pumping under its Winterization Plan, but will not permit entry of equipment that could be used for military purposes.
What to Watch
- Whether the Israeli authorities allow in specialist equipment and materials requested by UN agencies for improving camp conditions.
- The scale of further flooding and tent collapses as winter rains continue, and the capacity of emergency services to respond.
- Whether international funding commitments increase to meet the needs described by aid agencies.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedThe health ministry said four people were killed when a sand embankment collapsed onto tents in central Gaza.BBC News: “Three children and one woman were killed when a sand embankment collapsed onto tents in central Gaza following heavy rain, the Hamas-run health ministry says.”
- SupportedThe collapse happened Sunday night at a camp for displaced families south of Deir al-Balah, following heavy rain.BBC News: “Five injured people were also reportedly rescued after the incident on Sunday night at a camp for displaced families south of Deir al-Balah.”
- SupportedTorrential rain on Saturday reportedly flooded tens of thousands of tents across Gaza.BBC News: “Torrential rain on Saturday reportedly flooded tens of thousands of tents across Gaza, leaving many Palestinians without a dry place to sleep.”
- SupportedThe Civil Defence initially reported three children and two women killed, but the health ministry said Monday morning that one woman was among the dead.BBC News: “The Civil Defence initially reported on Sunday that three children and two women were killed when the sand embankment collapsed. But the health ministry said on Monday morning that only one woman was among the dead.”
- SupportedThe woman was identified as Tahrir Nabhan; the children were Mariam Nabhan, her brother Salah, and Habiba al-Zein.BBC News: “She was identified as Tahrir Nabhan, while the children were named as Mariam Nabhan and her brother Salah, and Habiba al-Zein.”
- SupportedMustafa al-Masri said: “It was extremely difficult. This mound was huge and wide. It collapsed onto the tent, and we didn't know what to do.”BBC News: “"It was extremely difficult. This mound was huge and wide. It collapsed onto the tent, and we didn't know what to do," he said.”
- SupportedMasri quoted the children’s father shouting, “My children” four times, and said rescuers put the children in an ambulance and took them to hospital.BBC News: “"Their father arrived shouting, 'My children, my children, my children, my children.' We pulled his children out, put them in the ambulance, and took them to the hospital."”
- SupportedThe Civil Defence said water reached up to 1.5 metres in some places and responders could handle only 10% of 2,100 distress calls.BBC News: “The Civil Defence said water levels reached up to 1.5m (4.9ft) in some places and that its first responders were able to respond to only 10% of the 2,100 distress calls they received.”
- SupportedThe Civil Defence warned: “Protecting the lives of displaced people is an urgent humanitarian responsibility. Their tents must not become death traps beneath sand and rainwater.”BBC News: “"Protecting the lives of displaced people is an urgent humanitarian responsibility. Their tents must not become death traps beneath sand and rainwater," it warned.”
- SupportedKarl Baker said Gaza’s 2.1 million people were confined to 30% of its total area.BBC News: “The International Organization for Migration's regional crisis co-ordinator, Karl Baker, told the BBC from Gaza that the territory's 2.1 million population was confined to only 30% of its total area”
- SupportedCogat said more than 91,000 tents, 12 vacuum trucks and fuel for pumping facilities had been delivered since the Gaza Winterization Plan began.BBC News: “Cogat, the Israeli military body tasked with co-ordinating deliveries, said on Sunday that more than 91,000 tents, 12 vacuum trucks for waste removal, and fuel and engine oil for pumping facilities have been delivered since the start of the "Gaza Winterization Plan".”
- SupportedMore than 74,640 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the health ministry, whose figures the UN considers reliable.BBC News: “Since then, more than 74,640 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory's health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.”