Palestinian authorities have accused the international community of indifference and inaction following a mudslide in the central Gaza Strip that claimed the lives of five displaced individuals. The disaster occurred when heavy rains caused a sandbank to collapse onto a tent, burying four children and a woman in Deir el-Balah on Sunday. Two people are still missing. The landslide was precipitated by the first winter storm of the year, which struck the besieged territory on Friday, causing widespread flooding. Floodwaters have inundated displacement camps and weakened buildings already damaged by Israeli air raids. The lack of specialist search and rescue equipment, due to restrictions imposed by the Israeli military, has left Gaza residents with little choice but to dig with their bare hands to reach survivors. The victims were living in flimsy tents on exposed ground, offering no protection from the heavy rain. Approximately 70,000 tents were flooded during the storm, and over half a million children are estimated to be living in critical or catastrophic shelter conditions. Save the Children has criticized Israel for blocking the entry of caravans as a more durable alternative to tents, leaving hundreds of thousands of children exposed to another winter of hardship. The Gaza Government Media Office has held Israel, the United States, and the international community responsible for their "absolute silence regarding the occupation's crimes" and complicity in preventing the entry of shelter supplies, construction materials, fuel, and spare parts required to operate municipal and Civil Defence machinery and equipment. The authorities have also condemned the Board of Peace and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza for their failure to act and abdication of responsibility, raising serious questions about the purpose of these bodies. Since Israel's genocidal war began on October 7, 2023, more than 74,600 people have been killed in response to a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel. Over 1,600 Palestinians have been killed since a ceasefire took effect in October 2025.