Civil Defense teams work tirelessly to rescue people trapped under the rubble of a residential building previously damaged by an Israeli strike which collapsed in Gaza City on Sept. 16, 2026. (Credit: Mahmoud Issa/Reuters)
The death toll from the collapse of a building sheltering displaced Palestinians in the Tal al-Hawa area west of Gaza City now stands at at least 20, including five children, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense. This morning, rescue workers had extracted 11 bodies, but the death continues to rise as approximately a hundred people, including at least 50 children, remain trapped and rescue operations continue.
Parts of the building collapsed onto nearby buildings and tents also sheltering displaced Palestinians. The building, home to approximately 70 displaced Palestinians, had sustained structural damage from Israeli shelling during its war on Gaza, civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal told AFP. "The bodies of eight martyrs including children and 15 injured individuals have been recovered from the rubble," he added.
The total death toll from the collapse of buildings damaged by Israeli strikes throughout the war now stands at 50 people, the Civil Defense told Al-Jazeera, which also warned the "Board of Peace" and the countries guaranteeing the "cease-fire" in Gaza that the territory is heading for an "inevitable disaster" this winter, due to the high risk of further building collapses.
Nearly all of Gaza's population has been internally displaced and most of the territory lies in rubble. Israel's genocidal war has killed more than 73,700 Palestinians.
While the 11-month-old "cease-fire" has reduced the level of violence, Israel still regularly carries out strikes on Gaza, killing at least 1,375 Palestinians since the nominal truce went into effect.
Hamas said in late July that it was ready to disarm, in what Trump hailed as a breakthrough, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the latest stage of the plan and said there would be no military withdrawal from Gaza, using Hamas' weapons as a pretext for Israel's prolonged occupation.
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