Overview
- The six‑story residential block in Gaza City collapsed overnight on Wednesday, leaving at least 20 people dead and about 60 reported missing or trapped under rubble.
- Rescue teams say the building had been weakened by earlier Israeli strikes and was sheltering dozens of internally displaced families when it fell.
- Emergency workers continue search-and-rescue operations and report hearing voices under the debris, but say they lack excavators, fuel and other key equipment needed to reach survivors quickly.
- Gaza authorities and Hamas blamed Israeli strikes and restrictions on the entry of heavy machinery for slowing rescues, while UN agencies have urgently appealed for equipment, fuel and safe humanitarian access.
- The collapse underscores wider risks in Gaza where UN assessments show roughly 80% of structures have been damaged and more than 1.7 million people are displaced, raising the prospect of further deadly collapses as winter approaches.