5 children among 20 Palestinians killed as war-damaged building collapses in Gaza City

At least 20 Palestinians, including five children, were killed Wednesday when a residential building housing displaced people that had been damaged during Israel’s genocidal war collapsed in western Gaza City, according to Palestinian sources.

Zaher Al-Wahidi, director of the Health Information Center at Gaza’s Health Ministry, told Anadolu Agency that 20 Palestinians were killed when the Al-Saada building in the city’s Al-Sinaa area collapsed.

Earlier, Gaza’s Health Ministry said in a statement that 16 people were killed and more than 25 others were injured in the collapse.

The ministry said the incident brought the total number of people killed in the collapse of buildings damaged during Israeli attacks to 50.

Palestinian Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said during a news conference at the scene that the building had previously been targeted by Israeli bombardment during the war before collapsing early Wednesday.

Bassal said around 100 people remained trapped under the rubble.

He warned that around 2,000 damaged buildings at risk of collapse remain occupied by residents and displaced Palestinians across the Gaza Strip.

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Bassal called on the international community to provide the equipment and machinery needed to enable rescue teams to recover those missing.

Gaza Mayor Yahya al-Sarraj said during the news conference that the building’s collapse “warns of the danger of more damaged residential buildings collapsing.”

He stressed the need to allow mobile homes to enter Gaza before winter to provide alternatives for residents and displaced people.

In remarks to Anadolu, Gaza Municipality spokesman Hosni Muhanna said that displaced families had been living inside the collapsed building after fleeing the harsh conditions in tent camps.

He also warned of the risk of further collapses of damaged and cracked residential buildings across Gaza, calling for the urgent entry of heavy and specialized equipment needed for rescue operations and rubble removal.

Anadolu’s correspondent reported that official institutions in Gaza had resorted to using equipment from private-sector companies due to shortages of heavy machinery and equipment.

According to the latest figures from Gaza’s Health Ministry, 1,375 Palestinians have been killed and 4,686 injured in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire took effect in October 2025.

The figures bring the Palestinian death toll from Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, to nearly 74,000, with more than 174,000 others injured, according to the Health Ministry.

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