Gaza City: At least 12 Palestinians, including children, have been killed and dozens remain missing after a war-damaged residential building collapsed in Gaza City, according to local rescue teams.
The multi-storey building collapsed overnight in the Tal al-Hawa area, bringing several floors down on top of one another and trapping residents beneath the rubble. Rescue teams and residents have been searching through the debris for survivors and bodies.
The building had been damaged during the Israel-Hamas war and was reportedly being used as shelter by displaced families. Residents said several families continued to live there despite warnings about the structure’s unsafe condition.
Gaza’s Civil Defence teams initially carried out rescue operations with limited equipment, saying restrictions on the entry of heavy machinery had hampered their efforts. Rescue workers later obtained some heavy equipment to assist with the search.
The collapse comes with continued concerns over the safety of damaged buildings across Gaza, where many displaced Palestinians have returned to partially damaged homes because of a shortage of safe shelter.
Meanwhile, Israeli air strikes in Gaza reportedly killed at least five Palestinians, including two children and a Hamas commander, according to Palestinian health officials and Hamas sources. The Israeli military said it had killed a Hamas commander in southern Gaza and another fighter in the north.
Separately, Medical Aid for Palestinians said a patient was killed by an Israeli drone at a health centre it supports in Jabalia, northern Gaza. The organisation’s account concerns an incident at the facility and was not independently verified in the reports reviewed.
Rescue operations at the collapsed building were continuing as teams searched for people believed to remain trapped beneath the rubble.
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