A multi-storey residential structure collapsed overnight in western Gaza City, reportedly trapping six families beneath the debris, according to local witnesses and Palestinian journalists.
Al Jazeera verified footage showed civil defence crews and residents working through the morning of September 16 to extract survivors from the rubble. Rescuers were seen pulling young children from the wreckage, while cries for help could be heard emanating from under the concrete.
Additional video evidence captured the rescue of a young girl alive from the debris, along with other survivors, including several breathless children, who were subsequently transported by ambulance. The exact number of casualties remains unclear.
As of the time of reporting, there had been no official statement regarding the incident from Gaza’s Health Ministry or civil defence authorities.
Local media outlets reported that the building had previously sustained damage from an Israeli airstrike, which left it cracked and structurally compromised before its eventual collapse.
The incident highlights the precarious living conditions across Gaza, where thousands of homes and apartment buildings damaged or partially destroyed during the war remain uninhabitable and at risk of sudden collapse. Many Palestinians have been forced to reside in makeshift shelters or half-destroyed buildings.
Israel has restricted the entry of construction materials needed for repairs, as well as the heavy equipment required by civil defence teams to safely clear rubble and conduct rescues. This shortage has left emergency responders reliant largely on manual labour, significantly slowing response times during similar collapse emergencies.
Is there any word on where these survivors were taken? I hope they get proper medical care despite the chaos.
The lack of heavy machinery makes this rescue so tragic and slow. Those people are digging with their bare hands in the rubble.