A war-damaged building collapsed in the Tal al-Hawa area of Gaza City, killing at least 20 people and leaving dozens missing, including five children. Rescue teams say the six-storey structure fell while families were sleeping, trapping those inside.
Videos from the scene show workers searching through the rubble for bodies and survivors. Locals said some 10 families had been living in the apartments despite warnings that they were unsafe.
Empty Hands and Borrowed Machinery
The people who work for the Civil Defence service run by Hamas first worked with “empty hands”, because of strict rules about what equipment Israel allows into Gaza. Since then, they have borrowed heavy machinery from UN agencies and from relief workers in Egypt.
The director of the Civil Defence in Gaza City, Raed al-Dahshan, is quoted as saying “We are still hearing voices from under the rubble, so there is still hope to find people,”.
“We are still hearing voices from under the rubble, so there is still hope to find people,”
That’s what he said, adding: “The limited availability of shelter options forced residents to move into this building, believing it was safe. However, at one point it collapsed entirely, tragically crashing down on people as they slept.”
The Scale of the Collapse
Alessandro Mrakic, who leads the UNDP’s Gaza office, addressed journalists on the spot and said an estimated 70 to 100 people remained buried beneath the ruins.
“The situation, as you see, is tragic because we don’t have the equipment and machinery that is needed. There are actually people digging with their bare hands,” he said.
Winter is approaching, and Mrakic has warned that roughly 400 more war-damaged buildings in Gaza face an immediate risk of collapse.
“We need support, most importantly with machinery, equipment, among others. Our colleagues here don’t have [engine] oil and spare parts to continue to work with all the equipment that is still in Gaza.”
Winter Preparations Stalled
Ramiz Alakbarov, who serves as the UN’s humanitarian relief co-ordinator, has asked Israeli authorities to grant permission for the delivery of heavy machinery needed for rescue work. He also urged them to allow the shipment of tents, tarpaulins and other non-food items for displaced people before the winter rains arrive.
Palestinian armed groups say Israel’s controls are designed to keep equipment out of their hands.
The War’s Toll
The war between Israel and Hamas has left an estimated 80% of all structures in Gaza destroyed or damaged, according to the UN.
The territory’s report states that over 1.9 million people have been forced to leave their homes, roughly 90% of the population, with many displaced more than once. Of those, some 1.2 million are now living in tents or temporary shelters.
Last October’s ceasefire agreement failed to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, according to the UN. Attacks continue there, with populated areas struck by Israeli air strikes and other assaults, resulting in casualties and destruction, along with more forced departures.
Recent Casualties
On Tuesday, health officials and Hamas sources said Israeli air strikes killed at least five Palestinians, with two children and a Hamas commander among the dead.
In southern Gaza, the IDF says it killed a Hamas commander, while in the north, it says it killed a fighter. In each case, a child was reportedly killed alongside the military target.
A separate report from the British charity Medical Aid for Palestinians said that a patient died after an Israeli drone struck a health centre it backs in Jabalia in northern Gaza. A spokesperson for the IDF told the BBC they had no knowledge of the incident.
The Trigger
The Gaza war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, when about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
According to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN, more than 73,790 people have been killed in Gaza since then.
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