Five Palestinians, including four children, were killed in a tent over the weekend after heavy rain dislodged a sandbank in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. Another five injured people were rescued after being caught up in the landslide, a Gazan civil defense spokesperson said. Since Friday, torrential rain has flooded 70,000 tents sheltering displaced Palestinians, soaking their possessions and leaving them freezing. Israeli authorities have consistently blocked the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, including shelter supplies and construction materials needed to rebuild infrastructure decimated by genocidal attacks. Blocking aid is a violation of international law. “This is not simply the result of bad weather,” said Ahmed Alhendrawi, regional director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe at Save the Children International. “Tents, shelter kits and fuel are waiting at Gaza’s borders while children sleep in floodwater, because the Israeli authorities are blocking their entry. This is a choice, and children are paying the price.” More than 2,000 buildings in the devastated enclave are at risk of collapse, Gaza’s civil defence has said. A recent assessment by the Palestine Shelter Cluster found that 58% of Gaza’s population are living in “critical or catastrophic” shelter conditions.

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