At least 20 people, including six children, were killed early Wednesday when a war-damaged building collapsed in the Gaza Strip, DW reported. At least 14 others were injured, and dozens were believed to remain trapped beneath the rubble as rescue workers continued their search.
The operation was hindered by a lack of heavy machinery. DW said rescuers in some cases were working with their bare hands, while Gaza City civil defense director Raed Al-Dahshan said voices could still be heard beneath the wreckage. He said at least 10 families had lived in the building and expressed hope that additional survivors could be found.
Residents described the collapse as another blow to families with few shelter options. Mohannad Al-Mashharawi told AFP, as cited by DW, that a friend and neighbors lived in the building and that the friend had no home or shelter. The death toll was expected to rise as the search continued.
Alessandro Mrakic, head of the UN Development Program’s Gaza office, said the territory lacked the equipment needed for rescue work. He warned that rain could destabilize hundreds of other bomb-damaged buildings, putting more people at risk as autumn and winter weather approached. According to Mrakic, about 400 buildings were at risk of collapse.
Authorities said roughly 2,000 damaged buildings remained occupied by Palestinian families who lacked alternatives, including sufficient tents. Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said the incident highlighted the dangers faced by families sheltering in unsafe structures and the need for safer alternatives.
Palestinian and UN officials attributed the shortage of heavy machinery to Israeli restrictions on equipment entering Gaza. Israel says it seeks to prevent such machinery from reaching Hamas, which it says used similar equipment in its October 2023 raid into Israel. DW also reported continuing casualties in Gaza since the subsequent Israeli assault and a US-backed ceasefire in October 2025.