GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Thirteen Palestinians, including children, were killed and 13 others injured after a six-story residential building collapsed early on Wednesday in the Al-Sina’a Street area of western Gaza City, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense. Around 100 people remain missing beneath the rubble.
The Al-Saada residential building, which contained 24 apartments, collapsed on displaced families sheltering inside and in several nearby tents, leaving dozens of people killed, injured or missing.
Civil Defense crews, working alongside Gaza Municipality teams, have been carrying out search-and-rescue operations since shortly after midnight in difficult conditions, amid fears that the death toll could rise.
At a press conference at the site, the Civil Defense said around 100 people remain unaccounted for beneath the rubble. Rescue teams have been working with Gaza Municipality, the Egyptian Committee, the Arab Authority, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to recover victims and search for survivors.
The Civil Defense appealed to the international community to urgently provide heavy equipment, excavators and bulldozers needed to reach people trapped beneath the collapsed building.
It also warned that around 2,000 damaged residential buildings across Gaza remain inhabited by residents and displaced families despite being at risk of collapse, as there are no adequate alternative shelters.
The Civil Defense called on the international community, countries guaranteeing the ceasefire agreement, the UN Security Council and Peace Council official Nickolay Mladenov to pressure Israel to allow heavy rescue and reconstruction equipment into Gaza.
Warning of further building collapses
Gaza Mayor Yahya al-Sarraj warned that similar disasters could occur unless urgent action is taken to bring temporary housing and essential equipment into the Strip.
“This incident is not the first, and perhaps it will not be the last unless there is urgent intervention and the necessary equipment is allowed in to rescue people and rehabilitate damaged buildings,” al-Sarraj said.
He warned that the danger will increase as winter approaches, with strong winds and heavy rainfall threatening already weakened buildings.
Residents continue to shelter in damaged structures because they have nowhere else to go, despite repeated warnings that the buildings could collapse.
At least 34 Palestinians have previously been killed and dozens injured in the collapse of homes and buildings damaged by Israeli bombardment since the start of the war, according to the report.
Gaza authorities say Israeli restrictions on the entry of construction and reconstruction materials have prevented damaged homes from being repaired, leaving thousands of Palestinians living in structures at risk of collapse.
