At least 12 people, including children, have died after a war-damaged apartment building collapsed in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City, local rescue crews report. Dozens more remain missing beneath the rubble of the multi-story structure, which crumbled with its floors pancaked on top of one another.
Residents say roughly 10 families had continued living in the building despite repeated warnings that the structure, damaged during the ongoing conflict, was too dangerous to inhabit. With housing scarce and destruction widespread across Gaza, many families have had little choice but to remain in unsafe homes.
Rescue workers from the Hamas-run Civil Defence service said they initially had to dig through the debris by hand, as Israeli restrictions have sharply limited the heavy machinery and equipment allowed into the territory. They have since managed to borrow some excavation equipment to speed up the search for survivors and bodies.
The collapse came as violence continued elsewhere in Gaza. Israeli air strikes on Tuesday killed at least five Palestinians, including two children and a Hamas commander, according to health officials and Hamas sources. The Israeli military confirmed targeting a Hamas commander in the south and another fighter in the north, acknowledging that a child died in each strike. Separately, the British charity Medical Aid for Palestinians reported that an Israeli drone strike killed a patient at a health center it supports in Jabalia, northern Gaza.
Read the full BBC report for more details.
Source: At least 12 killed after war-damaged Gaza building collapses (feeds.bbci.co.uk). English version produced with AI assistance.
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