Key facts
- At least 12 Palestinians, including five children, died when a seven-story apartment building collapsed in Gaza City.
- Nearly 100 more people are believed to be trapped under the rubble.
- The building, which housed about 10 families, had been damaged by Israeli airstrikes.
- Rescue efforts are hampered by a lack of proper machinery.
- The UN Development Programme described the situation as tragic due to insufficient equipment for rescue operations.
Rescue crews raced to reach residents trapped under the rubble of a residential building in western Gaza City that collapsed on Wednesday, killing at least 12 Palestinians, including five children. The six-storey building, which housed an estimated 70 people from more than 10 families, collapsed while residents were sleeping.
Civil Defence teams recovered the bodies of 11 people, including five children, and stated that the fate of around 100 people remained unknown beneath the debris. Mahmoud Basal, the Civil Defence spokesperson, said rescue teams needed heavy machinery to retrieve those trapped, equipment that has been largely unavailable in Gaza after being destroyed by Israel.
The collapsed building was among an estimated 2,000 buildings across the Gaza Strip at risk of collapse due to damage from Israeli strikes. Despite the danger, many of these buildings remain inhabited by displaced residents who have run out of other shelter. According to the UN, Israeli forces damaged or destroyed an estimated 90 percent of housing units in Gaza during the conflict, leading to the displacement of almost the entire population of 2.2 million people.
A report by the Shelter Cluster found that approximately 1.98 million Palestinians in Gaza need shelter and basic household assistance. The UN Development Programme warned that approximately 400 buildings are at risk of collapse, especially with the upcoming winter. Israel's assault on Gaza has generated around 61 million tons of wreckage and debris, according to the United Nations.