A residential building in western Gaza City has killed at least 21 people, including 11 children and six women, with more than 25 injured, local officials said Wednesday.
The six-story Al-Saada building, previously damaged by Israeli bombardment, collapsed in the early hours of Wednesday near the headquarters of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), according to civil defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal.
The building housed about 100 displaced people, residents said.
Basal said rescue teams saved 45 people and recovered 21 bodies during a 16-hour operation. Another 35 managed to escape, he added.
Dozens of distressed relatives gathered outside the collapsed building, some digging with bare hands.
Talal Al-Harazin, a displaced person, recalled the horrible moment when the building collapsed.
"I live right here, just about three meters away from this building. My tent is practically right up against the collapsed structure, that tent over there, barely three meters from the building. For some time, the building had been shedding bricks and masonry, but people didn't realize the severity of the danger. Then, shortly after 03:00, the building suddenly collapsed, crumbling into a heap of rubble in less than 10 seconds," he said.
Named "Al-Saada", which means "happiness" in Arabic, the building had reportedly sustained severe damage during earlier conflicts, developing major cracks and tilting precariously to one side. Although authorities had issued evacuation warnings, for homeless Gazan refugees, these battered, unsafe buildings remained the only alternative to the harsh conditions outside.
"If these people could find a tent, a piece of land to shelter on, or even just an empty plot of ground, they wouldn't be forced to live in these dangerous, dilapidated structures that could collapse at any moment. Their homes were originally located along the "yellow line" designated by the Israeli military and most of them were struck by attacks, leaving them without houses, tents, or anywhere to stay. This is the reality for the people of the Gaza Strip," said Mohammed Al-Madhoun, a local resident.
The "Yellow Line" was established under an October 2025 U.S.-brokered ceasefire as the line to which Israeli forces were initially to withdraw. Israeli military maps show it extends between 1.5 and 6.5 km inside Gaza from the eastern border, covering roughly 47 percent of the enclave. The line divides Gaza into two zones: an eastern area under Israeli military oversight and a western area where Palestinians can move with fewer restrictions. Palestinian authorities blamed Israel for restricting heavy machinery and equipment needed for rescue efforts.
The Civil Defense has managed to bring in three pieces of heavy machinery, yet the majority of its personnel are still forced to rely on rudimentary tools like shovels, or even their bare hands, to dig through massive chunks of reinforced concrete during search and rescue operations.
"This is one of the most serious disasters in the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of this round of conflict, caused by the collapse of damaged and dilapidated buildings. We continue to call on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities toward the residents of the Gaza Strip, particularly those living in damaged and dilapidated buildings, and to strive to provide them with safe, alternative shelter to prevent such tragedies from happening again," said Basal.
The Hamas-run media office in Gaza said in a statement that more than 8,500 missing people remained buried beneath rubble across the Gaza Strip due to difficulties in bringing in heavy machinery and rescue equipment, calling thousands of damaged buildings "ticking time bombs".
Basal added that more than 2,000 residential buildings risk collapse as winter approaches, calling on the so-called "Board of Peace" and ceasefire-guaranteeing countries to facilitate equipment entry, and warning of "imminent disasters".
The collapse occurred amid continued ceasefire violations, with no progress in talks between Hamas and Israel despite a ceasefire agreement that took effect in October 2025.
At least 21, including 11 kids, killed in Gaza building collapse
