GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), A Palestinian man was killed on Thursday evening in Al-Shati Camp, west of Gaza City, after a wall collapsed due to heavy rain-induced flooding. The incident occurred as five other damaged buildings in the city also collapsed amid ongoing stormy weather since Wednesday.
Five buildings collapsed on Thursday in different areas of Gaza City due to ongoing heavy rainfall associated with a deep storm system hitting the region for several days.
The Civil Defense reported that three of the affected buildings were in the Tel al-Hawa and Al-Nasr neighborhoods in western Gaza City, and two in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in the southeast. These buildings were sheltering displaced Palestinians who had no other housing options. No injuries were confirmed.
The agency warned of the risks posed by damaged and structurally unsound buildings, many of which are currently housing displaced families. The ongoing storm has worsened soil erosion and expanded existing cracks in buildings damaged by previous airstrikes.
The Civil Defense urged displaced residents who have returned to damaged or targeted buildings to exercise extreme caution and evacuate if the structures show signs of instability.
Over the past 24 hours, more than 2,500 distress calls were received from displaced people whose tents were flooded due to the severe storm.
Since the storm intensified early Wednesday, thousands of tents across the Gaza Strip have been submerged or swept away, raising fears of continued destruction through Friday.
Gaza’s Health Ministry director warned that the crisis goes beyond the effects of the storm, highlighting severe shortages of medications, particularly for chronic conditions. He noted that cold weather has become “a new gateway to death,” with 9,300 children suffering from acute malnutrition.
The director of the NGO Network said international organizations have been unable to bring in aid or tents, warning that deaths from cold and tent collapses could increase due to ongoing aggression and blockade.
He emphasized the urgent need for shelter materials, pointing to the growing malnutrition crisis and lack of options for displaced families, who are forced to remain in dilapidated tents or next to their destroyed homes.
