A damaged apartment building in Gaza collapsed at midnight, leading to the deaths of at least 16 Palestinians, including five children, and trapping dozens more under the rubble.
Danger for Gaza Residents
This incident highlights the ongoing danger for tens of thousands of Palestinians living in around 2,000 damaged buildings due to Israeli airstrikes. The Palestinian Civil Defense Service reported that 16 people have lost their lives and 14 others have been injured.
Approximately 100 others are estimated to be trapped under the rubble. Images released from the scene show rescue teams attempting to pull individuals from beneath a collapsed wall.
Rescue Efforts
Raed Al-Dahshan, the director of the Civil Defense Services in Gaza City, stated that at least 10 families lived in this building and there is still hope of finding survivors. He said, "We can still hear voices from under the rubble, so there is still hope of finding people."
Alessandro Maracchic, head of the United Nations Development Program office in Gaza, mentioned that rescue teams from some UN agencies are participating in the operation, which has been described as difficult due to a lack of suitable machinery. The Egyptian humanitarian aid agency has also joined the rescue efforts.
He added, "The situation, as you can see, is tragic because we lack the necessary equipment and machinery. Therefore, there are actually people digging with bare hands. We must prepare for more casualties."
Future Dangers
Maracchic warned that about 400 buildings are at risk of collapsing, and this danger will increase as winter approaches. Palestinian officials and the UN blame Israel's restrictions on Gaza for the shortage of heavy machinery in the territory. Israel has stated that the purpose of these restrictions is to prevent armed groups from accessing equipment.
Israeli attacks on Gaza, which began after Hamas's deadly assault on Israel in October 2023, have resulted in approximately 61 million tons of destruction and debris, which is estimated to take seven years to clear.
Al-Dahshan warned residents to stay away from the collapsed buildings due to the risk of further collapses. Local rescue services have reported that about 2,000 damaged buildings are inhabited by families.
He said, "The limited shelter options forced residents to live in this building, believing it was safe. But in an instant, this building completely collapsed and tragically fell on those who were asleep."
In recent months, many families have turned to living in damaged buildings due to a lack of new tents for the homeless.
In October 2025, a US-backed ceasefire halted widespread hostilities in Gaza, but did not end Israeli attacks, and little progress has been made towards the necessary steps for establishing lasting peace.
Hamas accuses Israel of violating the ceasefire and undermining efforts to implement President Donald Trump's comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict, which includes Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the disarmament of Hamas. Israel claims that Hamas has violated the ceasefire.
More than 1,200 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed since the ceasefire was implemented in Gaza, while the Israeli army has reported that four Israeli soldiers have lost their lives. Hamas typically does not release information about its casualties.
Source: independent.co.uk
