Damaged Apartment Building Collapses in Gaza, 12 Dead and 100 Missing
An apartment building in the Gaza Strip, which had sustained damage from a series of Israeli military attacks, has collapsed. Tragically, at least 12 people, including children, have died in the incident.
More than 100 others have been declared missing following the collapse of the apartment building located in the Gaza City area, the largest city in the Gaza Strip.
According to the Gaza Civil Defence, as reported by AFP on Wednesday (16/09/202cap), the six-storey apartment building in the Tal al-Hawa area of Gaza City collapsed during the night, with debris crushing nearby houses and refugee tents.
Mahmoud Basal, a spokesperson for the Gaza Civil Defence, which operates as a rescue service under the Hamas authority, told AFP that the building had suffered structural damage due to a series of Israeli attacks.
“So far, at least 12 martyrs, including five children, have been found,” Basal stated in his announcement.
He added that more than 100 other people remain missing.
According to Basal, the apartment building had been hit by Israeli attacks multiple times throughout 2024 and in March 2025, which triggered warnings for Gaza residents not to return to the structure.
“They had no other choice. Without the availability of tents or houses, they lived in cracked and damaged buildings despite the risk of the building collapsing,” said Basal.
According to the United Nations (UN), most buildings in the Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed due to Israeli attacks.
As a result of many Gazans losing their homes, and a severe shortage of building materials, many refugees have resorted to occupying buildings that are no longer structurally sound.
The Gaza Civil Defence has identified approximately 2,000 buildings in the Gaza Strip deemed at risk of collapse.
Gaza’s government media office, operating under Hamas, highlighted the delays in Gaza’s reconstruction efforts. “We consider the Israeli occupation and the international community to bear full and direct responsibility for the disaster befalling our Palestinian people,” they asserted.
Israel has permitted additional aid to enter the Gaza Strip since the announcement of a US-mediated ceasefire in October 2025. However, the Tel Aviv military continues to launch attacks and restrict the entry of various types of equipment, which they claim could be used for military purposes.