At least 12 individuals, including children, were killed and dozens remain missing after a multi-storey residential building collapsed in the Tal al-Hawa district of Gaza City. Local rescue teams reported that ten families had been occupying the apartments despite prior warnings regarding the structure’s instability.
Video footage captured the ongoing search efforts for survivors and bodies amidst the rubble, where the building’s floors had been crushed together. Members of the Hamas-run Civil Defence service stated that their initial response was hindered by a lack of equipment due to strict Israeli restrictions on imports into the Strip. However, rescuers have since managed to borrow heavy machinery to assist in the operation.
The collapse occurs amidst continued violence in the region. On Tuesday, Israeli air strikes in Gaza killed at least five Palestinians, including two children and a Hamas commander, according to health officials and Hamas sources. The Israeli military confirmed the death of a Hamas commander in southern Gaza and another fighter in the north, noting that a child was also killed in both incidents.
In a separate development, the British charity Medical Aid for Palestinians reported that an Israeli drone strike killed a patient at a health centre it supports in Jabalia, located in northern Gaza.
The lack of rescue equipment due to import restrictions makes this tragedy even more frustrating and preventable.
Wait, did they actually ignore safety warnings? That seems incredibly dangerous if true.
It’s terrifying that structural collapses from past strikes are just as deadly as active bombardment right now.
Twelve lives lost because people had nowhere else to go is heartbreaking. How long will this continue?