What Happened


In the early hours of Wednesday, September 16, 2026, the Al-Saada building in western Gaza City collapsed onto the families sheltering inside it. The six-storey structure, located near the UNRWA headquarters in the Al-Sinaa area, had been previously damaged by Israeli bombardment during the war. It had four apartments per floor, twenty-four homes in total and was housing approximately 100 displaced people who had fled their destroyed homes and tent camps, seeking any form of shelter.


The collapse happened fast. Less than ten seconds. Talal Al-Harazin, a displaced person living just three meters away, described the moment: "For some time, the building had been shedding bricks and masonry, but people didn't realize the severity of the danger. Then, shortly after 03:00, the building suddenly collapsed, crumbling into a heap of rubble in less than 10 seconds".


The Human Toll


By the time rescue operations concluded, the numbers were devastating:


· 21 people killed, including 11 children and 6 women

· More than 25 injured, with 45 people transported to hospitals

· 45 people rescued from the rubble during a 16-hour operation

· 35 people managed to escape on their own


Louay al-Ajla, 54, lost nearly ten members of his family. "I received the news at dawn," he said. "It was devastating".


At Al-Shifa Hospital, journalists watched weeping men carry children's bodies wrapped in white shrouds. Relatives crouched on the floor, kissing the faces of the dead through sobs.


They Had Nowhere Else to Go

The most painful truth about the Al-Saada collapse is that it was not a surprise. The building had been hit multiple times in 2024 and March 2025. Civil defence officials had warned people not to return. But they returned anyway. Not because they wanted to. Because they had no choice.

Ahmed Al-Ajla, who lost his uncle and other relatives in the collapse, said: "These buildings are nothing but ticking time bombs". His uncle, he said, "had endured displacement, poverty, imprisonment and loss" before his death. "The war is not over, for there remain ticking time bombs in the form of houses on the verge of collapse".

Mohammed Al-Madhoun, a resident of the area, explained the impossible reality: "If these people could find a tent, a piece of land to shelter on, or even just an empty plot of ground, they wouldn't be forced to live in these dangerous, dilapidated structures that could collapse at any moment. Their homes were originally located along the 'yellow line' designated by the Israeli military and most of them were struck by attacks, leaving them without houses, tents, or anywhere to stay. This is the reality for the people of the Gaza Strip".


Rescue Under Fire, Rescue Without Tools

The rescue operation lasted 16 hours. Civil defence teams, supported by the Egyptian Committee, the Red Cross, UNDP, and OCHA, worked through the night and into the next day. They recovered bodies. They pulled survivors from the rubble. They evacuated 35 people from the building and nearby tents before it fully collapsed.


But they did it without the tools they needed.

Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza's Civil Defence, has been clear: Israeli restrictions on heavy machinery and rescue equipment are crippling their ability to save lives. "This is one of the most serious disasters in the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of this round of conflict, caused by the collapse of damaged and dilapidated buildings," he said. "We continue to call on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities toward the residents of the Gaza Strip, particularly those living in damaged and dilapidated buildings, and to strive to provide them with safe, alternative shelter to prevent such tragedies from happening again".


The Hamas-run media office in Gaza stated that more than 8,500 missing people remain buried beneath rubble across the Strip because heavy machinery is not allowed in. The Government Media Office held Israel and the international community "fully and directly responsible" for the disaster, calling it "an extension of systematic killing".


2,000 More Buildings Waiting to Fall

The Al-Saada building is not an isolated tragedy. It is a warning.


Civil defence officials have identified approximately 2,000 residential buildings across Gaza that are at risk of collapse. Thousands of structurally compromised buildings remain inhabited by residents and displaced persons because there are no alternatives.


The UN's humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territories, Ramiz Alakbarov, said he was "devastated" by the news. "Today's tragedy underscores the grave risks faced by families living in these structures and the urgent need for safer alternatives. No one should have to risk their life simply to find a safe place to shelter".


The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that funding shortfalls and Israeli restrictions on critical imports are slowing the response. With the rainy season approaching, 330,000 families need dignified shelter, while already damaged structures face additional pressures from winter weather.


A Ceasefire That Does Not Protect


The collapse occurred amid what officials describe as continued ceasefire violations. A ceasefire agreement took effect in October 2025, but negotiations between Hamas and Israel remain stalled, and Palestinians continue to die. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, 1,375 Palestinians have been killed and 4,686 injured since the ceasefire began.


For the families of Al-Saada, the ceasefire meant nothing. Their building was already destroyed before the bombs stopped falling.