At least 20 killed after war-damaged Gaza building caves in

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - JERUSALEM — A war-damaged apartment building in Gaza Strip collapsed overnight, killing at least 20 Palestinians, including children, and trapping dozens of others beneath the rubble.

The incident highlights the ongoing danger for tens of thousands of Palestinians who live in an estimated 2,000 damaged buildings due to Israeli airstrikes across Gaza.

At least 20 people, five of them children, have been killed and 14 others injured when the seven-story building collapsed overnight, the Palestinian Civil Defense said on Wednesday.

Videos showed the search for bodies and survivors continuing in the rubble in the Tal al-Hawa area of Gaza City.

Locals said some 10 families had been living in the apartments despite warnings that they were unsafe.

Members of the Hamas-run Civil Defence rescue service said they had initially been working with "empty hands" due to tight Israeli restrictions on equipment allowed into Gaza. However, they have since been able to borrow some heavy machinery from UN agencies and Egyptian relief workers.

"We are still hearing voices from under the rubble, so there is still hope to find people," said Raed al-Dahshan, the director of the Civil Defence in Gaza City.

He added: "The limited availability of shelter options forced residents to move into this building, believing it was safe. However, at one point it collapsed entirely, tragically crashing down on people as they slept."

The head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Gaza office, Alessandro Mrakic, told reporters at the scene that between 70 and 100 people were believed to be trapped under the rubble.

"The situation, as you see, is tragic because we don't have the equipment and machinery that is needed. There are actually people digging with their bare hands," he said.

Mrakic also warned that approximately 400 other war-damaged buildings across Gaza were at imminent risk of collapse, particularly as winter approaches.

"We need support, most importantly with machinery, equipment, among others. Our colleagues here don't have [engine] oil and spare parts to continue to work with all the equipment that is still in Gaza."

The UN's humanitarian relief co-ordinator, Ramiz Alakbarov, also called on Israeli authorities to approve deliveries of heavy machinery for rescue operations, as well as tents, tarpaulins and other non-food items for displaced people ahead of the winter rains.

Israel says its restrictions are meant to keep equipment out of the hands of Palestinian armed groups.

An estimated 80% of all structures in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged during the war between Israel and Hamas, according to the UN.

More than 1.9 million people, about 90% of the territory's population, have been displaced, many of them multiple times, and 1.2 million of them are currently living in tents or makeshift shelters, it says.

The UN has warned that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire despite the ceasefire agreed last October, as Israeli air strikes and other attacks continue to hit populated areas, causing casualties and property damage and driving further displacement.

On Tuesday, Israeli air strikes 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 the north. In both cases, a child was also reportedly killed.

Separately, the British charity Medical Aid for Palestinians said that a patient was killed by an Israeli drone at a health center it supports in Jabalia in northern Gaza.