People stand at the site of a deadly sand embankment collapse at a camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir el-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip on November 9, 2026. Photo by Eyad Baba / AFP
Ramallah: The Palestinian National Council (PNC) demanded urgent protection for civilians and displaced Gazans and global action to halt the humanitarian cataclysm they are enduring, in the wake of a sand embankment collapsing onto tents sheltering displaced people in Deir Al-Balah, killing and injuring children and women.
In a statement Monday, PNC President Rawhi Fattouh said the incident was a direct consequence of the catastrophic humanitarian conditions engendered by the relentless blockade of the enclave, alongside the blocking of shelter supplies, essential items and reconstruction materials from entering the territory.
Fattouh appealed to the global human conscience to take immediate action rather than pay lip service to expressing concern and condemnation. He clamored for international pressure to be brought to bear to end the armed aggression, lift the blockade and ensure the urgent flow of humanitarian aid, shelter supplies and reconstruction materials.
Fattouh stressed that protecting civilians is a legal and moral responsibility that cannot be deferred, warning that continued international muteness leaves Palestinians facing the menaces of death and humanitarian catastrophes.
The presence of over two million Palestinians in an area covering less than one-third of the enclave, amid the lack of shelter and even the most basic means of protection and safety, endangers the lives of displaced Gazans and sets the stage for further humanitarian tragedies, Fattouh warned.
He linked these conditions to the continued blockade, destruction and displacement, contending that they are part of what he described as policies of ethnic cleansing and genocide.
He stressed that the global muteness and impotence in taking powerful action in the face of these tragedies no longer amount merely to political inaction, but have become a moral and humanitarian fiasco, as children and women face death beneath rubble and crumbled tents, amid cold weather, rain and the absence of even the most basic means of protection.
