Children among the dead as heavy rains flood tents and shelters in Gaza

Two children stand in a rain-soaked tent in Deir al-Balah, Gaza.

An infant reportedly drowned and five Gazans were killed – including three children – when a sand dune collapsed on their tents as the first heavy rains swept across the enclave at the weekend, according to the UN aid coordination office (OCHA).

Thousands of families lost their shelters and belongings as rain and strong winds began lashing Gaza on Friday night, flooding displacement sites, collapsing damaged buildings and disrupting services across all five governorates, OCHA said in an update released on Monday.

The dune collapsed onto tents at Al Berka Reservoir, west of Deir Al Balah, killing three children and two women and injuring one other person , according to local authorities.

Speaking from Ramallah, UN Deputy Special Coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov said that while rain could not be prevented, more must be done to protect the vulnerable, noting that most Gazans are living in worn-out tents that cannot withstand what would be considered a moderate storm elsewhere.

Some 65 per cent of Gaza’s population, about 1.4 million people, live in tents or makeshift shelters .

By 8 November, humanitarian partners had received appeals for aid from more than 26,000 households whose shelters or belongings were damaged . More than 6,000 family shelters were reportedly destroyed and 17,400 damaged, and more than 3,900 households currently have no shelter at all.

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