Gaza Building Collapse Kills 14, Traps 100 Under Rubble

At least 14 Palestinians, including five children, died and another 14 were injured when a seven-story building collapsed in western Gaza City on Wednesday night, September 16. Approximately 100 people are believed to remain trapped under the rubble, according to the Ynet news outlet.

The building, which had been damaged by Israeli strikes during previous hostilities, was inhabited by displaced Palestinians. Raed al-Dahshan, head of Gaza City's civil defense service, stated that at least 10 families lived in the collapsed structure. "We can still hear voices from under the rubble, so there is still hope of finding people," he said.

Rescue efforts by UN agencies and an Egyptian aid agency are underway, but are hampered by a lack of necessary equipment, according to Alessandro Mrakic, head of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Gaza. Many residents were forced to occupy the dilapidated building due to widespread destruction and a severe housing shortage, despite prior warnings about its danger.

Palestinian officials and UN staff attribute the scarcity of heavy equipment in Gaza to Israeli restrictions, which Israel maintains are necessary to prevent equipment from falling into the hands of terrorist organizations. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has called for international investigators to be allowed into the territory to gather evidence of potential violations.

The UN noted that the discovery of numerous bodies raises serious concerns, and the total number of missing persons under the rubble in Gaza could exceed 8,000. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee commented on the humanitarian situation, stating that hundreds of aid trucks enter Gaza daily, but that Hamas has not surrendered any weapons since the ceasefire. Other unrelated news items follow.