Hamas civil defense reports three killed in building collapse due to stormy weather

Hamas’s civil defense agency reports three people killed tonight by a building collapse as a result of the strong wind and heavy rain. The statement does not identify the dead or say where they were killed.

Palestinian media reports that a man and two women were killed in the partial collapses of two different buildings in western Gaza City. They are identified as Muhammad Hammouda, 72, and Doaa Hammouda, 40, who were killed in the collapse of a former event hall; and Wafaa Sharir, 33, who was killed in the collapse of a wall of a home. Both structures were said to have been previously bombed by the IDF.

The UN reported in October that over half of Gaza’s structures were destroyed in the war with Israel and that roughly 40% of the remaining structures are severely or moderately damaged.

The UN has said that hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans face flooding of their tents and shelters by heavy rains, and materials for shelters and sandbags are not being allowed to enter the enclave.

COGAT, the Israeli Defense Ministry agency that oversees aid to Gaza, has denied the allegations, saying it has let in hundreds of thousands of tents and tarpaulins and is waiting for international organizations to let in close to 100,000 pallets of “water-related items.”