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Gaza Building Collapse Kills 21 as Dozens Remain Trapped — AI-generated representative image. Rescue workers and civilians search through rubble after a residential building collapse in Gaza City.

Editorial Team

Rescuers dig by hand after bombed-out block shelters displaced Palestinians collapse, with UN warning hundreds of Gaza buildings at risk

At least 21 people have been killed and dozens more are believed trapped under rubble after a bombed-out six-storey building housing displaced Palestinians collapsed in Gaza City in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The apartment block, damaged by Israeli bombing and leaning precariously to one side for some time, was sheltering around 100 displaced Palestinians, including 50 children, according to the United Nations.

The collapse underscores the scale of destruction across Gaza, where the UN estimates roughly 82% of buildings have been damaged since Israel began its bombing campaign in October 2023. Around 400 buildings remain at imminent risk of collapse, leaving displaced families living in constant danger.

The disaster has also highlighted the severe constraints on rescue efforts, with humanitarian officials warning that Israel's restrictions on machinery and fuel are forcing survivors to dig through debris with their bare hands.

What Happened

The building collapsed in the early hours of Wednesday, crushing nearby tents that were also being used to house homeless Palestinians. Civil defense workers said five children were among the 21 bodies recovered so far.

Some 25 injured people have been pulled from the rubble, and rescuers told the BBC that the voices of trapped victims could still be heard beneath the debris. Between 70 and 100 people are believed to remain trapped under the destroyed structure, according to Alessandro Mrakic, head of the United Nations Development Programme's Gaza office.

Mrakic said that with Israel preventing machinery, fuel and rescue equipment from entering Gaza, "there are actually people digging with their bare hands."

Background and Ongoing Conflict

The collapse is part of a wider humanitarian crisis that has unfolded since Hamas's surprise attack in October 2023 triggered Israel's bombing of the strip. According to UN figures, roughly 82% of Gaza's buildings have been damaged, with two thirds of them destroyed.

Although a de jure ceasefire has been in place since last October, Gaza's Hamas government has accused Israel of violating the truce more than 4,000 times since then. Israel has either denied these incidents or characterized them as legitimate responses to breaches by Hamas or threats to its troops.

More than 73,000 Palestinians, the vast majority of them civilians, have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, with 1,369 of those killed since the ceasefire came into effect.

Rescue Constraints and Casualty Figures

The UN has warned that the lack of heavy machinery, fuel and rescue equipment is severely hampering recovery operations. Mrakic told reporters that the restrictions imposed by Israel mean rescuers are working with minimal resources despite the urgent need to reach survivors.

The Gaza Ministry of Health reported that at least two additional people were killed on Wednesday when Israeli forces struck a house in Gaza City and a refugee camp in the center of the strip. These deaths add to the mounting toll since the ceasefire began.

What Lies Ahead

Rescue operations are continuing at the collapse site as civil defense workers and volunteers search for survivors beneath the rubble. The number of confirmed deaths is expected to rise as recovery efforts progress.

UN officials have renewed warnings about the hundreds of buildings across Gaza that remain at imminent risk of collapse, urging that machinery and equipment be allowed into the territory to prevent further loss of life. Additional information on the rescue operation and final casualty figures is awaited.