Sourced fact
The News
Sand fell on a Palestinian family's tents in central Gaza late Sunday, killing three children and a woman and injuring five others after a rubble structure collapsed due to heavy rains. The Health Ministry affiliated with Hamas reported the deaths of Tahrir Nabhan and her two daughters, Maryam and Salah Nabhan, and Habiba Al-Zein, while five injured people were rescued from under the debris.
A civil defense official from the Interior Ministry stated that water flooded tens of thousands of tents across the sector on Saturday, reaching levels of up to 1.5 meters in some areas. The official noted that first-response rescue teams could only attend to 10% of the 2,100 assistance requests due to the difficult conditions.
Mustafa Al-Masri, one of the rescuers who helped extract victims with bare hands, said the collapsed dune was large and wide, making the extraction extremely difficult. He added that after reaching the site, they pulled the children and woman out from under the sand and debris while the victims' father screamed, demanding his sons be recovered.
Al-Masri continued, saying he had fled from Beit Hanoun in the north but remained in central Gaza because there was another place he could not return to. He also noted that their father arrived shouting their children's names before they were transferred to an ambulance and then to a hospital.
In related developments, Karl Baker, Regional Crisis Coordinator for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said that the sector's 2.1 million residents are confined to just 30% of its total area. He stated that UN agencies and their partners are trying to secure enough tents and canopies and improve sanitation in camps to help residents survive the winter.
However, Baker warned that current aid reaching Gaza is insufficient to meet population needs, describing it as "the smallest bandages" possible. He called on international organizations to provide more financial and material support to help communities help themselves.
The Israeli Operations Coordination Agency (COGAT) also stated that it has delivered over 91,000 tents and other equipment since the start of the "Gaza Winter" plan, but refused permission for entry of equipment that could be used for military purposes. The UN notes that around 80% of buildings in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged during the war that began on October 7, 2023.
Reports indicate that more than 1.9 million people have been displaced, with 1.2 million currently living in tents or temporary shelters despite the ceasefire agreement reached in October 2025. Israeli airstrikes continue to hit populated areas, causing further human and material losses and additional displacement.
Analysis & context
Analysis & Context
From an analytical perspective, this incident highlights the increasing danger facing refugee camps due to sudden climate changes and destroyed infrastructure. Tents that do not provide adequate protection become deadly traps under harsh weather conditions, especially with soil erosion and sand accumulation on top of them.
In a broader context, the UN indicates that around 80% of all structures in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged during the war between Israel and Hamas, forcing more than 1.9 million people to displace again or multiple times. About 1.2 million of these displaced persons currently live in tents or makeshift shelters that leave them vulnerable to natural disasters.
Despite a ceasefire agreement in October 2025, the UN warns that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains catastrophic with ongoing Israeli airstrikes causing human and material losses and further displacement of the population. Current aid is described as "the bare minimum" and insufficient to meet the growing needs of the population.
It is worth noting that the war in Gaza erupted after Hamas's attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the killing of approximately 1,200 people and the capture of 251 others, leading to a series of catastrophic humanitarian events that continue to this day.
