GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — A multistory residential building damaged earlier in the Israel-Hamas war collapsed in Gaza City early Wednesday, killing at least 12 Palestinians, including at least four children, and leaving dozens feared trapped beneath the rubble, according to hospital officials and rescue workers.
The building was sheltering displaced families who had few alternative places to live. Shifa Hospital told The Associated Press that 15 people were injured and at least four children were among the dead. Reuters, citing Gaza Civil Defense, reported five children among 12 fatalities and 14 injured, illustrating how casualty figures can differ during an ongoing rescue operation.
Civil defense crews, residents and U.N. personnel searched through broken concrete and twisted metal Wednesday. Rescue workers said they could still hear people beneath the debris.
“We are still hearing voices from under the rubble,” Gaza City Civil Defense Director Raed Al-Dahshan told Reuters, expressing hope that survivors could still be found.
The exact cause of the collapse was not immediately known. The building had been partially destroyed in an earlier Israeli strike and concerns had previously been raised about its structural condition.
The collapse highlights a growing danger facing Palestinians who have returned to damaged homes because tents and other shelters are scarce.
Thousands of structures across Gaza were weakened during nearly three years of fighting. Gaza’s civil defense service estimates that about 2,000 damaged buildings are still occupied by families, while around 400 could be at serious risk of collapse, particularly as winter approaches.
Al-Dahshan said limited shelter options had pushed families into buildings they knew had sustained damage.
Rescuers have also struggled with shortages of excavators and other heavy machinery. Alessandro Mrakic, head of the U.N. Development Programme’s Gaza office, said some people searching the wreckage were forced to dig by hand because adequate equipment was unavailable.
Palestinian and U.N. officials say Israeli restrictions have limited the entry of some heavy equipment needed for rescue and reconstruction. Israel says restrictions on certain equipment are intended to prevent material from being diverted to militant groups.
The United Nations estimates that the war has produced about 61 million tons of rubble and debris in Gaza, potentially requiring years to clear. More than 8,000 people are also believed by Palestinian authorities to remain buried beneath wreckage from the conflict.
That means damaged buildings pose a danger even when active fighting is absent.
Multistory structures have collapsed at different points during the war, sometimes after rain, winter weather or previous blast damage weakened walls, foundations and supporting columns.
For families who have already been displaced repeatedly, the choice can be between living in tents with limited protection from heat, cold and rain or returning to buildings that engineers have not been able to fully assess.
The current destruction traces back to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli figures. Israel responded with a major military campaign in Gaza.
Gaza health authorities say more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed during the Israeli campaign. Israel says it seeks to avoid civilian casualties and accuses Hamas of operating from densely populated civilian areas, an allegation Hamas denies.
A U.S.-backed ceasefire that began in October 2025 ended large-scale combat but did not fully stop violence. Israeli strikes have continued, and Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the agreement.
More than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began, according to Gaza health officials, while the Israeli military says four Israeli soldiers have been killed during the same period.
The building collapse illustrates how the effects of war can continue long after individual strikes occur.
Humanitarian agencies face not only the immediate need to provide food, medical care and temporary shelter, but also the enormous task of clearing unstable buildings, recovering bodies and eventually rebuilding homes, hospitals, schools and other infrastructure.
U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said Tuesday that the recovery of hundreds of bodies from Gaza’s rubble had renewed concerns over the conduct of the war. Israel has repeatedly rejected allegations that it deliberately targets civilians and says its military operations comply with international law.
For families in Gaza City, however, Wednesday’s immediate concern remained the search beneath the collapsed building.
Rescue workers continued moving through the rubble as relatives and residents waited nearby for information about those still missing.
