At least 21 Palestinians were killed and 45 injured after a six-storey residential building damaged in an earlier Israeli strike collapsed in western Gaza city overnight.
The Al Saada building had been sheltering nearly 100 people, including 10 displaced families, when it collapsed, Gaza's civil defence agency said in a statement on Wednesday.
The agency said it moved 35 people from the building and nearby tents to safe locations where their health was checked.
“Our crews are working with the basic tools and digging by hand,” civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal told The National. “We have no heavy equipment that can be used in such situations, making the operation extremely difficult.”
Mr Basal later told a press conference that the teams had been working at the site for more than 15 hours and had rescued more than 20 people from the rubble.
He warned that more than 2,000 damaged residential buildings in Gaza remained occupied and at risk of collapse. Many families are staying in unsafe buildings because tents were unsuitable for living and had become “graves and hell” for displaced people, he said.
He called on the international community to provide mobile homes instead of tents, warning that more people would die if conditions did not improve.
One nearby resident, 34-year-old Amjad Sleem, said residents heard a tremendous noise at about 3am and rushed outside. “The families were our friends,” he told The National.
“In our daily conversations, they often expressed fears that the building might collapse, but necessity force them to remain there despite the sever danger.”
The Civil Defence agency said an Egyptian team, the International Committee of the Red Cross and Gaza Municipality were helping in the rescue efforts.
The agency said it urgently needed two excavators, a digger and bulldozers to continue rescue operations and warned that dozens of structurally damaged buildings could collapse in the winter.
It called on the UN Security Council and guarantors of the Gaza ceasefire agreement to facilitate the entry of rescue machinery and equipment to the territory.
Alessandro Mrakic, head of the UN Development Programme's Gaza office, said UN agencies were taking part in the rescue operations.
“The situation, as you see, is tragic because we don't have the equipment and machinery that is needed,” said Mr Mrakic. “So there are actually people that are digging with their bare hands.”
“There are approximately 400 buildings at risk of collapse. And we know that these buildings will collapse, especially now with the upcoming winter,” he added, referring to the damaging effect of rain and extreme weather on the weakened structures.
Mohammed Salha, head of the Palestinian NGOs network in Gaza, told The National: “People in the Gaza Strip are resorting to living in partially collapsed homes because they have no alternatives. Most homes have been destroyed, while [emergency] tent and mobile homes are unavailable.”
Mr Salha appealed for shelter supplies, recovery materials, and heavy machinery to remove rubble and rescue those trapped beneath it. He echoed Mr Mrakic's warning.
“The crisis will worsen during winter when weather conditions will increase the risk of damaged buildings cracking further to collapsing,” he said.
Trapped beneath rubble
Amjad Sleem, 34, who lives nearby, said residents heard a very loud noise at about 3am local time and rushed outside to find that the building had collapsed.
“The families were our friends,” he said. “In our daily conversations, they often expressed fears that the building might collapse, but necessity forced them to remain there despite the severe danger.”
With no electricity, neighbours, volunteers and emergency crews searched through the rubble by hand in darkness until morning. “We could hear people calling out, but after some time, their voices would fall silent,” he said.
Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN humanitarian co-ordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said he was “devastated” by reports of people trapped under the rubble and said search and rescue operations were continuing.
“Lives may still be saved, and every effort must be made to reach those trapped under the rubble,” he said in a statement.
Dr Alakbarov said Egypt had provided heavy machinery, while the UAE and Qatar were set to deliver aid. Humanitarian agencies would use available supplies in Gaza to provide survivors with health, shelter and other critical assistance, he said.
He called for urgent approval for the entry of heavy machinery, specialised equipment, engine oil and fuel for search and rescue operations. He also called for tents, tarpaulins and other essential items to reach vulnerable communities in the coming weeks.
“Ahead of the rains, humanitarian agencies were supporting people who chose to relocate from damaged buildings and flood-prone areas to safer sites,” he added.
A US-backed ceasefire in October 2025 halted large-scale fighting in Gaza, but it has not ended Israeli strikes and there has been little progress on steps towards permanent peace.
Hamas accuses Israel of violating the ceasefire and undermining efforts to implement US President Donald Trump's broader plan to end the Gaza conflict. The plan includes Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the disarmament of Hamas. Israel says Hamas has been violating the deal.
More than 1,300 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, according to the territory's health officials, while the Israeli military says four Israeli soldiers have been killed.
