The death toll from the collapse of a building housing displaced Palestinians west of Gaza City is at least 11. Among the victims there are also 5 children, while dozens of people are still missing. Rescue operations continue. This was reported by the Palestinian Civil Protection, cited by Al-Jazeera. The building, which housed over 100 displaced Palestinians, had already suffered damage due to Israeli bombing.
Footage verified by Al-Jazeera, writes the Arab broadcaster, shows rescue teams intent on extracting small children from the rubble, working side by side with residents who dug with their bare hands until dawn. According to witnesses and verified videos, children’s cries for help could be heard coming from under the concrete, while civil protection teams struggled to reach the people buried inside.
Another video shows a little girl being pulled alive from the ruins and several survivors emerging from the rubble – including young children who appeared breathless – before being carried away in an ambulance. The building, according to local witnesses, had several floors. Under the rubble there were six families.
Gaza Civil Protection: ‘At least 50 children under the rubble of the collapsed building’
According to the Palestinian Civil Protection, contacted by Al-Jazeera, at least 100 Palestinians are still trapped under the building, including around 50 children. Everyone is trying to source whatever equipment they can to help recover the victims. The building collapsed around 1 am, while the people inside were sleeping.
“We can hear the voices of citizens under the rubble and our teams are trying to reach them – the spokesperson tells the Arab newspaper – but the occupation (the Israelis, ed.) refuses to allow heavy vehicles to enter the Gaza Strip”.
‘Another 2,000 unsafe buildings in the Strip
“About 2,000 buildings in the inhabited areas of the Gaza Strip are in precarious structural conditions” like those of the building that collapsed during the night, but residents are “unable to abandon them due to the lack of alternative accommodation”. A spokesperson for the Palestinian Civil Protection said this while speaking to the press, quoted by the Arab media. According to an Al-Jazeera reporter who was on site, the building that collapsed during the night had also been “partially damaged” by the Israeli attacks but “the Palestinians who lived there had no choice but to take shelter inside”.