At Least 20 Killed as War-Damaged Building Collapses in Gaza City

At least 20 people have been killed after a multi-storey building in Gaza City, previously damaged by Israeli strikes, collapsed on Wednesday. Rescue workers were searching through the rubble for dozens of people believed to be trapped, including children.

Gaza’s civil defence service said five children were among the bodies recovered from the site. At least 25 injured people were taken to hospitals. Medical sources said rescuers could hear the voices of people trapped beneath the rubble as they continued their efforts to reach survivors.

The building had housed around 100 displaced Palestinian families, according to witnesses. It contained four apartments on each floor and had already been severely weakened by Israeli strikes during the war. When the structure collapsed, it fell onto tents beside the building where displaced families had been sheltering.

Mohammed Abu Dan, a supervisor with Gaza’s civil defence service, said more than 10 families had been living in the building. Many displaced people had been forced to stay there because they had nowhere else to go.

Rescue operations were being conducted under extremely difficult conditions because of a shortage of heavy machinery and other essential equipment. Palestinian and UN officials have blamed Israeli restrictions on the entry of heavy machinery into Gaza for the shortage. Israel says such restrictions are intended to prevent equipment from reaching militant groups.

A video obtained by Reuters showed rescue workers attempting to pull two people from beneath a collapsed wall. Another video circulating on social media showed Gaza civil defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal carrying a young girl wrapped in a bloodstained scarf.

Raed al-Dahshan, director of Gaza City’s civil defence service, said rescuers were still hearing voices from beneath the rubble, raising hopes that some people could be found alive.

Alessandro Mrakic, head of the UN Development Programme’s Gaza office, said rescuers from UN agencies were participating in the operation. He described the rescue effort as extremely difficult because of the lack of appropriate machinery. Egypt’s relief agency was also involved.

Mrakic said some rescuers were digging through the rubble with their bare hands and warned that more deaths could occur.

The collapse has highlighted the continuing dangers faced by tens of thousands of Palestinians living in buildings damaged during the war. Many damaged homes and structures have remained standing despite weakened roofs, walls and supporting columns, leaving residents vulnerable to sudden collapses caused by strong winds, heavy rain or further bombardment.

With few alternatives, many displaced Palestinians have returned to partially destroyed homes or moved into abandoned buildings, clearing small spaces among the rubble. Rising rents and the cost of vacant land have made it increasingly difficult for families to find safer accommodation.

Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians also remain unable to return to areas near the so-called yellow line, forcing families to seek shelter elsewhere.

Israeli strikes on Gaza have continued despite the ceasefire. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, 1,369 Palestinians have been killed and 4,627 wounded since the fragile ceasefire took effect on October 11, 2025.

Separately, a video from Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood showed the aftermath of an Israeli drone strike that killed 15-year-old Mohammed al-Zinati and wounded several other people. According to the report, al-Zinati had been attempting to recover the body of a man killed in an earlier strike.

Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said on Wednesday that it was only a matter of time before Israel resumed full-scale war in Gaza and moved to force out its Palestinian population. Katz said 70% of Gaza had already been emptied of its population during Israel’s offensive, which began after the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023.

Since the beginning of the war, at least 73,783 Palestinians have been killed and 174,738 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Source: The Guardian