At least 20 people were killed after a six-storey residential building in the Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood of Gaza City collapsed overnight, following an reported Israeli strike, according to the civil defence agency operating in the enclave.
The collapsed structure, which housed approximately 24 apartments across its six floors, crumbled onto nearby homes and displacement tents, burying what witnesses described as families who had already fled their previous shelters amid intensifying fighting.
The Palestine Civil Defence, which functions as the primary rescue and emergency response service under Hamas administration, confirmed the death toll and said rescue crews were working through debris in difficult conditions. Five of the deceased were identified as children.
Tal al-Hawa, located on the outskirts of central Gaza City, has been one of the areas where displaced families have sought relative safety after repeated displacement orders forced residents northward and southward across the besieged territory. The strike and subsequent collapse came during a period of renewed aerial and ground operations by the Israeli military in parts of the Gaza Strip.
Israel has not yet issued an official statement regarding this specific incident. The Israeli defence forces have in past strikes targeted buildings they said were being used for military purposes, while also carrying out wider bombing campaigns across densely populated residential zones.
The destruction added to an escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where hospitals, shelters, and civilian infrastructure have been repeatedly damaged or destroyed since the conflict escalated. Rescue teams have warned of insufficient equipment and rising fatalities as collapse sites multiply across the territory.
