Winds Topple Gaza Tents, Killing Four Displaced Palestinians

DEIR ALBALAH, Gaza Strip — Strong winter winds battered makeshift tents across Gaza on Monday night, causing walls to collapse and killing at least four displaced Palestinians, hospital officials reported Tuesday. The incident occurred amid ongoing harsh living conditions in the coastal territory, where a ceasefire has been in place since October 10 following more than two years of conflict.

Hospital authorities at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the territory's largest medical facility, confirmed the deaths of two women, a teenage girl and a man. Three of the victims belonged to the same family: 72-year-old Mohamed Hamouda, his 15-year-old granddaughter and his daughter-in-law, who were sheltering in a tent near the Mediterranean shore in Gaza City when an 8-meter-high wall fell on them. At least five others were injured in that collapse. A second woman died in a similar incident in the western part of the city.

Relatives of the Hamouda family gathered Tuesday to clear rubble and repair surviving tents. Bassel Hamouda, a family member, spoke after the funeral, saying, "The world has allowed us to witness death in all its forms. It's true the bombing may have temporarily stopped,...