Aid officials had warned for months that torrential rains in Gaza could turn deadly this winter.
On Sunday, they buried Ahmad Nabhan’s entire family — victims of what President Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza called a “foreseeable” disaster in the crowded enclave.
The United Nations and relief workers had repeatedly said that Gaza’s two million Palestinian residents needed more and better supplies for a winter that many would spend — for the fourth year running — in squalid, trash-ridden camps. Floods, mud and cold have proved deadly in years past.
On Sunday night, Mr. Nabhan, 36, stepped out to have coffee with friends in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. Minutes later, the rains caused a sand embankment to collapse on his tent — burying his wife, Tahrir, 36; his son, Salah, 8; his daughter, Mariam, 5; and his niece Habiba, 4, inside, according to the Gaza authorities and relatives.
“We dug through the sand and rocks, and pulled out their bodies, one by one,” Mr. Nabhan said in a phone interview.
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Thousands of other Palestinians lost their shelters and belongings in the weekend storm, according to the United Nations.
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Extracted and lightly reformatted for readability. · Source: pt