GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Officials and representatives from international, UN, and Arab organizations agreed Thursday on an emergency plan to address the crisis of cracked and structurally impaired buildings in the Gaza Strip, amid escalating risks to residents’ lives.
The agreement followed a high-level meeting in Gaza with 35 representatives from various international, UN, and Arab institutions to discuss ways to enhance urgent humanitarian responses to the severe repercussions left by the war.
The Government Media Office in Gaza stated that the meeting was called following the collapse of the “Al-Saada” building in Gaza City, which refocused attention on the hazards facing hundreds of damaged and cracked structures across the enclave.
Participants discussed the required role of UN, international, and Arab organizations in handling the crisis, alongside mechanisms to step up relief and logistical support. They reached several urgent recommendations, led by immediate interventions to address hundreds of buildings at risk of collapse.
Attendees stressed the necessity of taking practical, proactive measures to ensure civilian safety and providing the resources needed to prevent a recurrence of the “Al-Saada” tragedy.
In this context, government ministries and institutions announced they would deploy their capabilities and offer necessary facilities to execute the emergency plan, including allocating land to set up shelter camps and transferring residents away from life-threatening structures.
Participants also called for an international humanitarian appeal and urged mediators to move swiftly to facilitate the entry of heavy machinery and equipment, as well as essential fuel and lubricants required for inspection, shoring up, removal, and management of dangerous buildings.
These moves came hours after the collapse of the “Al-Saada” building, which had sustained damage and cracks during the war before displaced families were forced to inhabit it despite the danger, leading to its collapse on residents early Wednesday.
According to the latest toll announced by Civil Defense, the collapse of the six-story building resulted in the martyrdom of 21 Palestinians and injured 45 others. The building housed around 101 people at the time of the incident, including a large number of children.
The threat of damaged buildings coincides with an acute shortage in Gaza of safe shelters and equipment needed to inspect, shore up, or demolish cracked structures, heightening risks for residents who mostly lack safe housing alternatives.
As Gaza awaits rubble removal and the start of reconstruction, damaged and cracked buildings remain an active threat to residents’ lives, creating an urgent need for heavy equipment, fuel, and field plans to handle them before further collapses occur.
