Posted by Chinenye on Wed 16th Sep, 2026 - tori.ng
A deadly building collapse has sparked a desperate rescue operation in Gaza City as rescuers race against time to find those still buried beneath the rubble.
(Rescue Team. Photo by BBC News)
At least 20 people, including five children, have been k!lled and dozens are missing after a six-storey war-damaged building collapsed in Gaza City.
Search and rescue teams are continuing to look for bodies and survivors in the rubble of the building in the Tal al-Hawa area.
About 10 families had been living in the apartments even though warnings said they were unsafe.
The Hamas-run rescue service said they initially worked without proper equipment due to Israeli restrictions on what can enter Gaza.
They have since borrowed some heavy machinery from UN agencies and Egyptian relief workers.
A rescue official said they can still hear voices under the rubble, so there is hope of finding more people.
He explained that lack of safe shelter options forced residents to move into the building, thinking it was safe.
But it eventually collapsed while people slept.
UN officials say between 70 and 100 people are believed trapped under the rubble.
They noted that about 400 other damaged buildings across Gaza are at serious risk of collapse, especially as winter approaches.
The UN called on Israeli authorities to allow heavy machinery for rescue work and supplies like tents and tarpaulins for displaced people before winter rains.
Around 80 percent of all buildings in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged during the war, the UN says.
More than 1.9 million people have been displaced, with 1.2 million living in tents or makeshift shelters.
The UN warned that the humanitarian situation remains dire despite a ceasefire agreed last October, as attacks continue to hit populated areas, k!lling people and forcing more displacement.
On Tuesday, Israeli air strikes k!lled at least five Palestinians including two children.
The Israel Defence Forces said it k!lled a Hamas commander in southern Gaza and another fighter in the north, with a child also reportedly k!lled in each case.
A British charity said a patient was k!lled by an Israeli drone at a health centre it supports in Jabalia in northern Gaza, though an Israeli military spokesperson said they were not aware of the incident.
The war started on October 7, 2023, when a Hamas-led att@ck on southern Israel k!lled about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
Since then, more than 73,790 people have been k!lled in Gaza according to the territory's health ministry figures that the UN considers reliable.