Gaza building collapse death toll rises to 20, dozens remain missing

• The war-damaged building collapsed early Wednesday morning.

The death toll from the collapse of a war-damaged residential building in Gaza City has climbed to 20, with more than 25 others injured and dozens of people still believed to be trapped beneath the rubble, Gaza's Ministry of Health said. 

The multi-story structure, which had been heavily damaged earlier by an ‘Israeli’ strike, had previously drawn warnings over its structural safety, collapsed on Wednesday morning. 

It was housing ten displaced Palestinian families who had sought shelter there after their own homes were destroyed.

Most of those killed were women and children, according to health ministry officials. 

Civil defense crews worked through the rubble with bulldozers and by hand, pulling out survivors, including children, as rescue efforts continued.

The collapse has become one of a growing number of similar incidents across the strip, where an estimated 2,000 buildings damaged by Israeli airstrikes remain standing but structurally compromised. 

Rescue officials have repeatedly warned displaced residents against sheltering inside such buildings, citing the risk of sudden collapse.

The health ministry said the total number of deaths from collapses of war-damaged buildings across Gaza has now reached 50, underscoring the scale of the danger posed by structures left unstable after more than two years of bombardment. 

Read more: Gaza shelter collapse kills 11, traps 100