4 killed as sand dune collapses due to heavy rain in Gaza

With the onset of winter in Gaza, heavy rainfall has created a severe crisis for displaced families. According to a report by 'The Hindu', 4 people were killed in a tragedy near Deir al-Balah in central Gaza late Sunday night. Due to heavy rain, a sand dune suddenly collapsed, under which the tents of displaced families were located. A total of 4 people, including a woman and her two children aged 8 and 6, died in this incident. Apart from this, doctors stated that 6 others were seriously injured.

In videos viral on social media, local people were seen removing large chunks of sand with the help of hammers and shovels. During this, blood-stained bodies were wrapped in blankets and pulled out. Sohaib Abu Darbali, a witness to the incident, said that the sound of the sand dune collapsing was like an explosion. He further added that after the dune collapsed, three tents were completely buried and people were trapped under the debris, who could not be seen.

Amal al-Zain, a relative of the victim family, expressed grief over this situation, saying that the condition of people in Gaza is very pathetic. Those who survived bomb and missile attacks are now dying by being buried under buildings and sand dunes. Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza's Civil Defense Service, said that people build tents near sand dunes in the hope of safety, but these tents are not capable of protecting them from rain or heat. He clarified that the only solution to this problem is reconstruction.

According to local authorities, at least 70,000 tents were submerged in water within the first few hours of the heavy rain that began on Saturday. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has stated that more than 26,000 families have reported damage to their shelters or belongings. A large portion of Gaza's 20 lakh population is currently forced to live in tents or in the remains of buildings destroyed by bombing.

Reconstruction work has not yet begun in Gaza after two years of Israeli military attacks. The ceasefire mediated by the US last year mentioned the reconstruction of Gaza, but no significant progress has been seen in it. Israel says that reconstruction is not possible until Hamas is disarmed, while on the other hand, negotiators have failed to reach a consensus on the terms of Hamas's disarmament and the withdrawal of Israeli troops. Currently, Israeli troops have control over about two-thirds of Gaza.

Gaza Strip is a narrow area located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, which has long been the center of political and military conflicts. After the Hamas attack on southern Israel in 2023, Israel launched a large-scale military operation in Gaza. This conflict has displaced lakhs of people and destroyed most of the infrastructure. Every year during winter, the problem of housing for the displaced becomes more severe in this area due to heavy rain, as their tents get submerged in water and their belongings are also destroyed.