GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), The Ministry of Interior and National Security in Gaza announced that 18 people have been killed due to the collapse of 46 buildings damaged by Israeli bombardment, since the ceasefire agreement took effect on October 10.
In a statement, the ministry said, “In light of the ongoing disaster of damaged homes collapsing on their residents, the latest of which occurred Saturday evening in Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City, leading to the death of four citizens, the number of victims has risen to 18 as a result of the collapse of 46 buildings across the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire began last October.”
On Saturday night into Sunday, a building partially collapsed on its residents. Five people were rescued at the time, while four remained missing until Sunday morning, before the bodies of two young girls were recovered from under the rubble.
The ministry warned that the scope of this disaster may widen as reconstruction remains blocked and Israel continues to prevent the entry of mobile homes, especially with the onset of winter, which increases the likelihood of further collapses.
It appealed to the international community to act urgently and facilitate the entry of reconstruction materials and temporary housing to safely shelter displaced families. The ministry stressed that any delay in this regard would worsen “the severity of the humanitarian situation and put the lives of hundreds of thousands at direct risk of death.”
In recent weeks, Gaza has witnessed several incidents of previously bomb-damaged homes and residential buildings collapsing due to heavy rain and strong winds, resulting in deaths and injuries among Palestinians, according to government sources.
Families are forced to live in cracked and unstable buildings because of the lack of alternatives, as Israel has destroyed most of the buildings in the Strip and continues to block the entry of mobile homes and construction materials, evading its obligations under the ceasefire agreement.
The agreement ended the war that Israel launched in October 2023, with US support, which lasted two years and left around 71,000 people dead, more than 171,000 injured, and massive destruction affecting 90 percent of civilian infrastructure. The United Nations estimated the cost of reconstruction at about $70 billion.
