Gaza building collapse kills 21, including 11 children

• At least 21 people, including 11 children and six women, were killed when a residential building collapsed in western Gaza City.

• Rescue workers saved 45 people, while another 35 escaped from the building, which housed around 100 displaced residents.

• Gaza authorities warned that more than 2,000 residential buildings remain at risk of collapse and called for heavy rescue equipment to be allowed into the territory.

At least 21 people, including 11 children and six women, were killed after a multi-storey residential building collapsed in western Gaza City, according to local officials and residents. More than 25 others were injured.

The six-storey Al-Saada building came down in the early hours of Wednesday near the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The structure had previously sustained damage during Israeli bombardment.

Around 100 displaced people were living in the building at the time of the collapse, residents said.

Mahmoud Basal, a spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defence agency, said rescue crews recovered 21 bodies and pulled 45 survivors from the rubble during an operation that lasted 16 hours. A further 35 people managed to escape.

Relatives gathered at the site as rescue efforts continued, with some attempting to clear debris using their bare hands, according to Xinhua news agency.

Louay al-Ajla, 54, said he lost nearly 10 members of his family in the incident.

“I received the news at dawn. It was devastating,” he said.

Palestinian authorities said restrictions on the entry of heavy machinery and specialist rescue equipment had hampered emergency operations across Gaza.

The Hamas-run media office claimed that more than 8,500 missing people remained trapped beneath rubble across the territory because adequate machinery and equipment were unavailable. It also described thousands of damaged structures as “ticking time bombs”.

Basal warned that more than 2,000 residential buildings could collapse, particularly as winter approaches. He urged ceasefire guarantors and the so-called Board of Peace to facilitate the entry of rescue equipment to prevent further disasters.

The incident occurred amid reported ceasefire violations and stalled negotiations between Israel and Hamas, despite a ceasefire agreement that came into effect in October 2025.

With IANS inputs