A building housing displaced Palestinian families collapsed on Wednesday in Gaza City, killing at least 20 people, most of them women and children, according to local health officials. The multi-story structure was severely damaged during the war between Israel and Hamas and there were warnings about its safety. The building was housing about six displaced families when it collapsed Wednesday morning. At least 15 other people were injured and the 20 dead included eight children and six women, according to the Gaza Civil Defense rescue agency. The death toll was expected to rise as more bodies were recovered from the rubble. Video showed civil defense teams inspecting the remains and using excavators to remove people, including children. Gaza Civil Defense teams rescue people from a collapsed building, September 16, 2026, in the Al-Sinaa area west of Gaza City, Gaza. Omar Ashtawy/Getty The building had been partially destroyed in an Israeli attack at the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas. It was not immediately clear what caused the collapse, but in Gaza, where most buildings have been damaged or destroyed, dozens of bombed-out multi-story structures have collapsed during the war, particularly during winter weather. Building collapses have become a major hazard in Gaza. Displaced families have often returned from tent camps to homes damaged by shelling during the nearly three years of war. The Gaza war is still simmering despite the US-brokered ceasefire. While the most intense fighting in Gaza has subsided since a fragile US-brokered ceasefire went into effect in October last year, Israel has continued to carry out attacks in the decimated Palestinian territory, including some Monday and Tuesday that killed several people. A Palestinian man carries an injured child as others receive treatment at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, Gaza, following an Israeli strike in the Al-Mawasi area, September 15, 2026. BASHAR TALEB/AFP/Getty The violence has continued despite the visit last month of Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and key Middle East negotiator, who met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an effort to push for a halt deal. the fire Speaking a couple of weeks after his visit to the region, Kushner directly linked the lack of progress in Gaza rehabilitation to Israeli elections scheduled for late October. Polls show it is a tight race between Netanyahu and his opponents. “We are working on some political issues in Israel. I think we agree with them on the final state,” Kushner said. “They’ve just had crazy elections and that makes them a little irrational in certain ways.” Militants have carried out shooting attacks against Israeli troops, and Israel says their attacks are in response to those and other ceasefire violations. The Gaza war was sparked by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel in 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and saw another 251 taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,264 Palestinians, including those who died since the ceasefire, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Crisis in the Middle East Go Deeper with The Free Press In:
