Hamas holds Israel ‘fully responsible’ after sandbank collapse kills war-displaced Palestinians

In a statement issued on Monday, the Palestinian resistance movement mourned the victims of Sunday's incident at the Ard el-Rebat displacement camp, which also left five people injured, while rescue teams continued searching for missing individuals.

According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, rescuers recovered the bodies of two women and three children from beneath the sand.

Hamas stressed that, with its genocidal war against the Gaza Strip that began in October 2023, Tel Aviv had forced more than two million Palestinians to flee their homes and confined them to less than one-third of the territory's total area, leaving them in overcrowded displacement camps and shelters lacking basic safety and protection measures.

Heavy rainfall has caused widespread flooding in the tents of displaced Palestinians across Gaza, further worsening the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

The movement described the tragedy as a direct consequence of the regime’s “criminal policies” against Gaza, citing Tel Aviv’s continued blockade and restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid, tents, shelter supplies, and construction materials needed to repair damaged homes and rebuild destroyed areas.

It warned that the combination of continued aggression, the siege, and adverse weather conditions was making further incidents increasingly difficult to prevent.

The collapse occurred amid heavy rain and strong winds that have battered Gaza, flooding tents and damaging makeshift shelters.

According to Palestinian media reports, the storms had flooded approximately 70,000 tents and brought down dozens of walls. Gaza's Civil Defense also reported receiving at least 1,500 emergency calls and warned that more than 2,000 buildings were at risk of collapse.

Warning of further humanitarian disasters, Hamas called for an immediate halt to the aggression, the lifting of the siege, and unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance, tents, and construction materials into Gaza.

The movement also urged the international community, the United Nations, and humanitarian organisations to fulfill their legal and moral responsibilities, take immediate action to protect Palestinians, and ensure the delivery of emergency aid.