Twelve people, including five children, were martyred and 13 others injured, while more than 60 others remained missing in an initial toll after a damaged six-story building housing dozens of displaced people collapsed in Gaza City on Wednesday, according to the Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip.
اضافة اعلان
Gaza rescue teams said the six-story residential building collapsed onto its residents and tents sheltering displaced people that had been set up nearby. They said they had been working since dawn on Wednesday to reach those trapped beneath the rubble, amid a severe shortage of rescue equipment and heavy machinery.
The Palestinian news agency WAFA, citing residents of the area, reported that more than 60 people had been staying in the building, most of them displaced. The building had sustained damage and developed structural cracks as a result of Israeli military bombardment.
Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesperson for the Gaza Health Ministry, said that more than 60 people remained missing under the rubble, noting that the building had developed cracks after sustaining damage from several Israeli strikes during the war.
He said the building collapsed at around 2 a.m., describing the incident as “a new tragedy.”
Bassal said Israeli bombardment had destroyed most of the homes and residential buildings surrounding the collapsed structure, causing damage and weakening ceilings and walls. He warned that the lack of equipment and tools was delaying rescue operations, potentially resulting in a higher number of martyrs.
Dozens of volunteers are assisting Gaza Civil Defense and Gaza Municipality teams in searching for the missing, as both agencies lack the necessary equipment and tools.
The incident is not the first of its kind, with dozens of damaged and structurally weakened buildings and homes having previously collapsed following Israeli bombardment.
The Civil Defense has said that tens of thousands of displaced people are being forced to shelter in damaged and potentially unsafe buildings because they have no other options, despite the risk of collapse.
Most of the Gaza Strip’s population of more than two million people is living in tents, many of which are unsuitable for habitation.
Israeli forces continue to carry out air and artillery strikes, as well as demolition and destruction operations targeting homes across the impoverished and devastated territory, despite a ceasefire agreement that took effect in October.
Israeli forces control more than 60% of the Gaza Strip, which covers an area of approximately 365 square kilometers.
Source: Al Mamlaka + Agencies
