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UN PhotoGAZA / BUILDING COLLAPSE
STORY: GAZA / BUILDING COLLAPSE
TRT: 7:37
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ARABIC / NATS
DATELINE: 16 SEPTEMBER 2026, GAZA
1. Various shots, rescue teams recovering the bodies of victims from beneath the rubble of a destroyed house
2. Various shots, machinery provided by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to assist in the recovery of victims from beneath the rubble
3. Various shots, residents gathering as local rescue teams work to recover victims from the rubble of a house that collapsed on its occupants after being damaged during the war
4. Various shots, Gaza Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal observing the operation to recover victims from beneath the rubble of a house that collapsed on its occupants
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mahmoud Basal, Spokesperson for the Gaza Civil Defence:
“Civil Defence crews in the Gaza Strip intervened to recover victims from beneath the rubble of this building. Around 100 people were inside the building, and the crews are still working to retrieve those who remain trapped under the rubble, but what is even more dangerous is that there are more than 2,000 buildings across the Gaza Strip in a similar condition, with people still living inside them. This scene could be repeated in other areas, resulting in further deaths and building collapses, particularly as we approach winter, when we repeatedly see buildings that are at risk of collapse give way.”
6. Various shots, Talal al-Harazin, who survived with his family when the building next to the tent in which they were living collapsed, as he watches rescuers recover victims’ bodies
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Talal al-Harazin:
“At around three in the morning, the building suddenly collapsed. In less than ten seconds, it had completely come down. When it collapsed, the dust was so thick that we could not even see our fingers. People began looking for us, and I told them: ‘I’m fine, my children are fine, and our tent is fine.’ But the building had collapsed on people, so we began listening for voices. We searched and found children. We started calling out to anyone whose voice we could hear, and whenever we heard someone, the young men would start digging to reach them and pull them out. We managed to rescue whoever we could reach until the equipment and Civil Defence teams arrived. There are a large number of victims and injured people. Ten displaced families from the Zeitoun and Shujaiya neighbourhoods were living in this building. It housed more than 70 people, most of them children, women and elderly people.”
8. Various shots, devastated neighbourhoods in Gaza City and damaged residential buildings where residents continue to live despite the risk of collapse
9. Various shots, Khairiya Hassan, who lives inside her damaged home despite the risk that it could collapse
10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Khairiya Hassan:
“I came back to live here because there is nowhere else for me to stay. The tents, as you can see, do not protect us from anything. We also sit beneath this rubble in fear. Only one room remains of what was once a five-story building. Nine of us are living here, and I have an injured son. Where are we supposed to go?”
11. Various shots, devastated neighbourhoods in Gaza City, showing residents moving through streets surrounded by destruction
Search and rescue operations continued in Gaza City on Wednesday (16 Sep) following the collapse of a bombed-out building that killed at least 20 people, according to reports.
The incident has highlighted the precarious situation of displaced Palestinians across the Gaza Strip who shelter wherever they can, including in structures damaged during the war between Israel and Hamas fighters.
“I am devastated by reports of people trapped under the rubble,” the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ramiz Alakbarov, said in a statement.
Roughly 100 people, including 50 children, were living in the building at the time, he added.
The senior aid official commended the humanitarian community which quickly mobilized to support the emergency response.
So far, Egypt has provided heavy machinery while the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are set to deliver relief items.
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) also deployed available machinery and workers to support rescue efforts.
Mahmoud Basal, Spokesperson for the Gaza Civil Defence said that crews in the Gaza Strip intervened to recover victims from beneath the rubble of the collapsed building.
He said that the crews are still working to retrieve those who remain trapped under the rubble, “but what is even more dangerous is that there are more than 2,000 buildings across the Gaza Strip in a similar condition, with people still living inside them.”
Basal added, “this scene could be repeated in other areas, resulting in further deaths and building collapses, particularly as we approach winter, when we repeatedly see buildings that are at risk of collapse give way.”
Talal al-Harazin, who survived with his family when the building next to the tent in which they were living collapsed, as he watched rescuers recover victims’ bodies.
He said, “at around three in the morning, the building suddenly collapsed. In less than ten seconds, it had completely come down. When it collapsed, the dust was so thick that we could not even see our fingers.”
Al-Harazin continued, “people began looking for us, and I told them: ‘I’m fine, my children are fine, and our tent is fine.’ But the building had collapsed on people, so we began listening for voices. We searched and found children. We started calling out to anyone whose voice we could hear, and whenever we heard someone, the young men would start digging to reach them and pull them out. We managed to rescue whoever we could reach until the equipment and Civil Defence teams arrived.”
“There are a large number of victims and injured people. Ten displaced families from the Zeitoun and Shujaiya neighbourhoods were living in this building. It housed more than 70 people, most of them children, women and elderly people,” he said.
Khairiya Hassan lives inside her damaged home despite the risk that it could collapse.
She said, “I came back to live here because there is nowhere else for me to stay. The tents, as you can see, do not protect us from anything. We also sit beneath this rubble in fear. Only one room remains of what was once a five-story building. Nine of us are living here, and I have an injured son. Where are we supposed to go?”
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ramiz Alakbarov said, “today’s tragedy underscores the grave risks faced by families living in these structures and the urgent need for safer alternatives,” adding, “no one should have to risk their life simply to find a safe place to shelter.”
Ahead of the rainy season, aid teams are supporting people who choose to move from damaged buildings and flood-prone areas to safer sites.
Alakbarov called for “urgent approvals for the entry of heavy machinery, specialized equipment, engine oil and fuel needed for search-and-rescue operations,” adding that tents, tarpaulins and other non-food items must also arrive in the next four weeks.
“Every possible effort must be made to save lives, protect people from further harm and provide families with safer places to live,” the UN Humanitarian Coordinator said, stressing that “every minute counts.”
