Building collapse in Gaza: at least 21 dead, including 12 children

The death toll from the collapse of a six-storey building - previously damaged by Israeli attacks - in the city of Gaza has risen to at least 21 deaths, including 12 children. This was reported by Palestinian rescuers.

"After hours of incessant work, our teams have recovered the bodies of 21 people trapped under the rubble of the collapsed building (...) Among the victims are 12 children," said the Civil Protection, which operates as a rescue service under the authority of the Palestinian movement Hamas.

The six-story building, which housed four apartments per floor, had been "directly hit" during the conflict between Israel and Hamas; this “compromised its structural integrity, leading to its collapse,” the Hamas press office in Gaza said. The building collapsed in the middle of the night, while dozens of people who had found a makeshift shelter there were sleeping, a circumstance which explains the high number of victims.

Civil protection explained that it had to work with "limited equipment and rudimentary tools", accusing Israel of "preventing the entry of heavy vehicles" into the Gaza Strip.

"My friend and neighbors lived in this building.

I came to help him try to get some clothes and mattresses. He no longer has shelter or a home," Mohannad Al-Mashharawi, a young man observing the search operations, told AF. According to the Hamas press office, residents had been told not to return to the building after the raids, but many were at risk of doing so due to the scale of the destruction in the area and the shortage of housing.