A six‑storey building in the Tal al‑Hawa area of Gaza City collapsed overnight, killing 21 people, including eight children, and leaving dozens missing, local rescuers and medics say. The structure, damaged by an Israeli strike more than a year ago, had been leaning dangerously to one side and was occupied by displaced families who had no safer shelter.
UN agencies and an Egyptian team have joined the search, but officials say progress is slow because of a lack of equipment. In the initial rescue effort, members of the Hamas‑run Civil Defence agency used their bare hands to dig through rubble.
Raed al‑Dahshan, director of the Civil Defence in Gaza City, told reporters that voices were still heard under the rubble, giving hope that survivors might be found. He added that the limited availability of shelter options forced residents to move into the building, believing it was safe, until it collapsed entirely on people as they slept.
Umm Mohammed Bakrun, a woman living in a nearby tent, recounted that the building fell suddenly in the early hours of Wednesday, sending stones and dust everywhere and causing screams. Another witness, Mansour Abu Mohammed, said the collapse happened in a few seconds, noting that the building had been tilting for days.
Satellite imagery shows the area around the building was targeted in the early weeks of the war, with damage first becoming evident in 2024. The head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Gaza office, Alessandro Mrakic, estimated that between 70 and 100 people were trapped under the rubble and warned that about 400 other war‑damaged buildings across Gaza were at imminent risk of collapse, especially as winter approaches.
Mrakic called for urgent support, including heavy machinery and spare parts, to aid rescue operations. The UN’s humanitarian relief coordinator, Ramiz Alakbarov, said he was “devastated” by the collapse and urged Israeli authorities to approve deliveries of heavy machinery, tents, tarpaulins and other non‑food items for displaced people ahead of the winter rains.
Israel maintains that its restrictions on equipment are intended to prevent Palestinian armed groups from acquiring military‑usable gear. The UN reports that about 80% of all structures in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged during the war, and more than 1.9 million people—roughly 90% of the territory’s population—have been displaced, many living in tents or makeshift shelters.
Despite a ceasefire agreed last October, Israeli air strikes continue to hit populated areas, causing casualties and further displacement. On Tuesday, Israeli air strikes killed at least five Palestinians, including two children and a Hamas commander, according to health officials and Hamas sources. The Gaza war began with the Hamas‑led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in about 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages.
More than 73,790 people have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began, according to the Hamas‑run health ministry, figures considered reliable by the UN. The collapse of the Tal al‑Hawa building adds to the mounting humanitarian crisis in the region.
Rescue teams continue to search for survivors, but the lack of equipment and machinery hampers progress. The international community watches closely as the situation unfolds, with calls for increased aid and support to prevent further tragedies.
