Gaza City Building Collapse Kills 12 as Rescue Teams Struggle With Limited Equipment
At least 12 people, including children, were killed when a war-damaged apartment block collapsed in Gaza City.
The building was in the Tal al-Hawa area. It came down overnight before Wednesday, September 16, 2026 U.S. News. Shifa Hospital said 12 people were killed and 15 were injured, and local rescuers said children were among the dead Irish News. Dozens are still missing. Ten families had been living in the apartments even after locals warned the structure was unsafe BBC. The collapse left the floors pressed flat together, like layers of a sandwich Yahoo News. Dozens were trapped under the rubble.
Rescuers from the Hamas-run Civil Defence, Gaza's emergency rescue service, said they started work with "empty hands" because tight Israeli limits kept rescue equipment out of Gaza. They have since borrowed some heavy machines to help with the search. The search for survivors and bodies in the rubble was still going on.
The collapse happened during continued deadly strikes. On Tuesday, Israeli air strikes in Gaza killed at least five Palestinians, including two children and a Hamas commander, according to health officials and Hamas sources. The Israeli military said it killed a Hamas commander in southern Gaza and another fighter in northern Gaza. Separately, Medical Aid for Palestinians said a patient was killed by an Israeli drone at a health centre it supports in Jabalia in northern Gaza.
The search continues. Rescue capacity is the immediate limit, with crews relying on borrowed machines to lift concrete slabs and reach empty spaces where survivors may be trapped.
The broader context here is that danger in Gaza does not only come from direct strikes. Damaged high-rise buildings reused as shelter can collapse later, and reliance on borrowed machines means rescue work will take longer. In the weeks ahead, the safety of shelter in weakened buildings and the supply of search-and-rescue equipment will likely affect how many civilians are hurt or killed.
