21 Palestinians dead and dozens missing after war-damaged building collapses in Gaza

At least 21 Palestinians, including at least 5 children, were killed and more than dozens injured after a war-damaged residential building collapsed in Gaza City at dawn on Wednesday, with around 100 people still missing or feared trapped beneath the rubble, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health, Civil Defence and eyewitnesses.

The six-storey Al-Saada Building collapsed at around 2:15 a.m. on Al-Sina'a Street, southwest of Gaza City, while residents were asleep, according to local eyewitnesses.

The building had been damaged during Israel's war on Gaza and was sheltering families whose homes had been destroyed or damaged.

The collapse also struck tents belonging to displaced Palestinians that had been erected near the building.

In a press statement, Gaza's Ministry of Health said 20 bodies had been recovered and more than 25 people injured as rescue teams continued searching for survivors and those missing beneath the debris. Gaza's civil defence later updated the toll to 21, according to Alaraby TV.

The ministry said the latest collapse brings to 50 the number of Palestinians killed in the collapse of war-damaged buildings across Gaza since Israel's war began on October 2023. 

Gaza Civil Defence said around 100 people were inside or around the building when it collapsed. Its teams, working with the Gaza Municipality, the Egyptian Committee and the International Committee of the Red Cross, rescued 16 people and recovered the bodies, while others remained beneath the rubble.

A man emerged from the rubble, but his family did not

Khaled al-Okka, a father of six, was among those who were rescued and taken to hospital, but his family remains trapped beneath the collapsed building.

From his hospital bed, he has been following reports from the rescue site, waiting anxiously for news of his relatives.

"The collapse happened suddenly as residents slept, leaving us with virtually no time to escape," he recalled the incident to The New Arab.

He found himself trapped beneath the rubble before rescue workers eventually reached him and pulled him out.

"My thoughts have been focused on my children and other family members who remained inside the building," he said.

"My greatest fear now is for my children and my family," he added. "I was pulled out, but they are still under the rubble. I do not know what happened to them or whether they were able to reach a safe part of the building before it collapsed."

He said residents had no warning that the building was about to give way.

"Everything happened in a moment. People were sleeping, and suddenly the building came down on them," he explained.

Al-Okka said he remains unaware of where exactly his relatives may be trapped, leaving him dependent on the rescue teams searching through the wreckage.

Cries for help beneath the rubble

At the site, relatives gathered as Civil Defence teams worked through layers of concrete and twisted metal in an attempt to reach those still missing.

Khader Akila, a resident in the area, told TNA that residents heard cries for help coming from beneath the debris after the collapse.

He said one child remained trapped for more than an hour while Civil Defence workers tried to reach him.

"People could hear voices under the rubble, but reaching them was extremely difficult," Akila added, describing the rescue effort as a race against time.

He said rescuers lacked the equipment needed to lift the massive concrete slabs, forcing them to work with whatever limited tools were available.

Another local resident, Ismail Hana, told TNA that the collapse showed the dangers facing Palestinians who continue to live in buildings damaged during the war.

"There is no safe place in Gaza," he said. "Even sleep is no longer safe."

Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza Civil Defence, told TNA around 100 people, including women, children and elderly residents, were inside the building and surrounding area when it collapsed.

He said displaced families were also living in tents nearby, adding that "the building had been damaged during the war and developed structural cracks before collapsing on its residents."

He explained that Civil Defence teams were continuing to search for survivors and recover bodies but were facing major difficulties because of the lack of heavy machinery.

"We urgently need excavators, bulldozers and heavy equipment to remove the rubble and reach those who may still be alive underneath," Basal said.

He accused Israel of preventing the entry of such equipment into Gaza, saying the shortage was not only hampering the current rescue operation but also leaving Civil Defence teams ill-equipped to respond to other building collapses.

2,000 buildings at risk of collapse

Basal warned that around 2,000 damaged residential buildings across Gaza remain at risk of collapse while still being inhabited, raising concerns as winter approaches and already-weakened structures face further deterioration.

He said the collapse of the al-Saada Building could be followed by further incidents if damaged structures remain occupied without proper engineering assessments and urgent repairs or demolition of sections deemed dangerous.

The warning comes as thousands of Palestinian families remain without safe alternative housing after Israel's war caused extensive destruction to homes and infrastructure. Many displaced families have been forced to shelter in damaged buildings or tents erected beside them.

Civil Defence has repeatedly called for heavy machinery to enter Gaza to clear rubble, rescue people trapped beneath collapsed structures and deal with buildings at risk of falling.

Basal said that the provision of heavy rescue and rubble-clearing equipment was included among the humanitarian provisions of the ceasefire agreement, which took effect in October 2025.

He accused Israel of failing to implement the provisions concerning the entry of such machinery into Gaza.

He called on the states that guaranteed the agreement to intervene and facilitate the entry of excavators, bulldozers, and other rescue equipment, warning that continued shortages could increase casualties if further-damaged buildings collapse.