OMM Redaksiyası
A seven-story residential building collapsed overnight in Gaza, killing at least 12 Palestinians, including five children, and injuring 14 others.
According to Gaza’s Civil Defense Service, around 100 people are feared trapped under the rubble. Rescue teams searched for survivors among the debris on Wednesday despite limited resources.
Raed al-Dahshan, director of the Civil Defense Service in Gaza City, said at least 10 families had been living in the building and rescuers could hear voices beneath the rubble. He said there was still hope of finding survivors.
Video footage showed rescuers attempting to pull two people from beneath a collapsed wall. Other footage circulated on social media showed Gaza Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal carrying a young girl wrapped in a bloodstained scarf.
Alessandro Mrakic, head of the Gaza office of the UN Development Programme, said UN rescue teams and an Egyptian aid agency were involved in the operation. However, the lack of heavy equipment had seriously complicated the work.
Mrakic said rescuers were sometimes digging through the rubble with their bare hands. He said about 400 buildings were at risk of collapse and that the danger would increase during the coming winter.
Gaza’s Civil Defense Service estimates that around 2,000 buildings damaged during Israel’s military campaign are still being used for housing. Due to shortages of shelters and tents, some families have moved into partially damaged homes to protect themselves from harsh weather.
Palestinian and UN officials attribute the shortage of heavy equipment needed for debris removal and rescue operations to Israeli restrictions on the entry of such machinery into Gaza. Israel says the restrictions are intended to prevent the equipment from falling into the hands of armed groups.
According to UN estimates, the collapse of buildings and the continued use of damaged homes remain major risks for civilians in Gaza, where humanitarian needs and shelter shortages have intensified.
