# Five dead in Gaza landslide as witnesses describe rescue effort

> A sand bank collapsed on a displaced families' camp south of Deir al-Balah after heavy rain and high winds, killing five people including two children.
- Title: Five dead in Gaza landslide as witnesses describe rescue…
- Summary: A sand bank collapsed on a displaced families' camp south of Deir al-Balah after heavy rain and high winds, killing five people including two children.
- Keywords: gaza, landslide, deir al-balah, displaced families, casualties, reconstruction, israel, humanitarian crisis, the Guardian
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/world/2026/nov/09/witnesses-struggle-save-people-buried-gaza-landslide
- Published: 2026-11-09T18:27:51+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: gaza, landslide, deir al-balah, displaced families, casualties, reconstruction, israel, humanitarian crisis, news, world
## Sand bank collapses on Gaza camp
A sand bank overlooking a camp for displaced families south of Deir al-Balah collapsed on Sunday, killing five people and crushing at least three tents.
## Children among the dead
Among the casualties were an eight-year-old, a six-year-old and their mother. The children's father was outside the tent and survived.
## Witness describes horrifying scene
Abdul Karim al-Sahhar, thirty, from Izbat Beit Hanoun, said people were buried beneath sand and rocks. It was a horrifying sight with no trace of tents left.

> It was a horrifying sight. We saw people buried beneath the sand and rocks.
## Rescue effort hampered by boulder
The father shouted for help. Young men had to break a huge boulder into pieces to reach the people buried underneath the collapsed sand and rocks.

> Save my children! Save my children!
## Wider damage from weekend rains
The UN said more than twenty-six thousand households reported damage to shelters or belongings after the weekend's rainstorms. The Hamas-run government said about seventy thousand tents were flooded.
## Overcrowding and lack of reconstruction
Gaza's population of two point three million live in tent encampments or bombed-out buildings. Toby Fricker of Unicef said the collapse was waiting to happen because Gaza is extremely overcrowded.

> The collapse was waiting to happen. Gaza is extremely overcrowded.
## Reconstruction stalled by restrictions
A US-brokered ceasefire called for Gaza's reconstruction, but little progress has been made. Israel says no reconstruction can happen before Hamas is disarmed. Prefabricated homes remain prohibited.
## Key takeaway

Five people, including an eight-year-old and six-year-old, died when a sand bank collapsed on a camp for displaced families in Gaza after heavy rain and high winds on Sunday.