Gaza Building Collapse Kills 21, Raises Fear over War-Damaged Structure

September 17, 2026 | 07:51 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A six-story building in Gaza City, already weakened and damaged by earlier Israeli strikes, collapsed onto nearby homes and tents, killing at least 21 people, according to DW and TRT World.

At the time of its collapse, the building, which housed four apartments per floor, was sheltering more than 100 displaced people.

Authorities in Gaza confirmed 21 people died in the collapse, including 12 children and five women. The collapse injured at least 14 more people, trapping dozens of others beneath the rubble.

"Civil defense teams are still working to recover martyrs from under the rubble and search for missing people. Until now, there are nearly 100 Palestinians still under the rubble of this building," said Mahmoud Basal, a Gaza civil defense spokesperson, as quoted by Al Jazeera.

Rescuers face difficulties as they lack the appropriate equipment. In many cases, they dig through the wreckage with bare hands, DW reported. 

The death toll is expected to surge as the search for victims buried under the rubble continues.

Around 2,000 buildings in Gaza at risk of collapse

Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza damaged and partially destroyed approximately 80 percent of buildings across the besieged enclave, according to the UN, as quoted from the BBC. 

With more than 1.9 million people across Gaza displaced by Israeli strikes, many of them are forced to live in life-threatening buildings "in absence of refugee centers or suitable tents," according to Basal.

According to Gaza's Ministry of Public Works and Housing, over 2,000 buildings in the Gaza Strip are at risk of collapsing.

This condition is exacerbated by Israeli restrictions on the entry of construction materials necessary for repairs.

Israel also continues to attack and bomb populated areas in Gaza despite the ceasefire brokered by the US in October 2025, causing even more property damage, loss of lives, and driving further displacement.

More than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed since October.

Read: How Israel Deprives Palestinian Students of Basic Education

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