Storms Cause Building Collapse in Gaza, Killing One Woman

(MENAFN) A Palestinian woman died Sunday when severe winter storms caused a war-damaged structure to collapse onto her shelter, while flooding displaced thousands across the Gaza Strip, medical officials confirmed.

The 30-year-old victim perished in Gaza City's Al-Rimal neighborhood after a wall from a building previously struck by Israeli military operations fell onto her tent, medical sources informed media.

Torrential rains and gale-force winds have battered the coastal enclave since Saturday night, overwhelming thousands of makeshift shelters housing displaced families, witnesses and a correspondent reported.

In Khan Younis, southern Gaza, hundreds of beach-front tents sheltering refugees were inundated by surging waves driven by the low-pressure system, compounding the humanitarian crisis.

The extreme weather presents acute risks for displaced Palestinians forced to inhabit deteriorating tents or structurally compromised buildings that have sustained repeated bombardment since October 2023.

Since October 2023, Israeli military operations have resulted in more than 71,200 Palestinian deaths—predominantly women and children—with over 171,200 additional casualties, according to local health authorities. The offensive has left Gaza's infrastructure devastated.

Multiple family members sustained injuries in Sunday's collapse, though their conditions remain unclear.

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