Sand cliff collapse kills two in Gaza shelter, five hurt
Rescue teams pulled five injured people alive from the rubble, while the bodies of the woman and child were recovered later.
A sand cliff collapsed onto tents at a shelter center in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on Sunday evening, killing a woman and a child and injuring five others, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
Rescue teams said residents pulled the five injured people out alive from under the sand, and rescue crews later recovered the bodies of the woman and the child.
Heavy rain and a low-pressure weather system have flooded tents and damaged shelter centers across the Gaza Strip, leaving displaced families in worsening conditions and prompting repeated appeals for urgent help.
National and international institutions warned that more than 2,000 damaged, cracked and structurally unsound buildings are at risk of collapse as rainfall and strong winds continue, endangering people who live inside them or nearby.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned on Saturday that displaced families in flood-prone areas and in rain-damaged buildings face serious risks, and said relief stocks are insufficient.
OCHA called for the immediate entry of winter supplies and additional funding for the humanitarian response in Gaza.
Many Palestinians in Gaza have been living in tents and shelter centers, and the winter season has added to the strain on those already short of shelter and basic supplies.
