| |
Building Collapse in Gaza Kills 19 09/16 06:41
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) -- A building housing about 100 people gave out
in Gaza City early Wednesday morning, killing 19 people as they slept and
injuring 25, and leaving rescuers digging through rubble for dozens more who'd
been sheltering inside the structure.
The sudden collapse of the building, which was known to be unstable due to
damage from Israeli strikes earlier in the war, underscored how perilous and
desperate living conditions have grown for the majority of the enclave's
population as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas stalls.
The 19 dead include at least 13 women and children, according to Zaher
al-Wahidi, a spokesperson for the Gaza Health Ministry.
The toll was expected to rise as more bodies were recovered from the
wreckage. Around 100 people, including 50 children, were living in the
building, said Ramiz Alakbarov, the U.N.'s humanitarian coordinator for the
Palestinian territories.
All of Gaza's roughly 2 million people now live in a stretch of land that
makes up less than half of the territory. They remain dependent on aid and are
surrounded by Israeli troops who carry out strikes or attacks on a near-daily
basis.
There's been no reconstruction work since the ceasefire was agreed to almost
a year ago. Israel has said it will not allow any rebuilding until Hamas
disarms.
The level of destruction means Palestinians have been forced to choose
between crowded tent camps or what's left of the enclave's damaged buildings.
At least six displaced Palestinian families were living in the structure
that collapsed early Wednesday despite knowing that it was teetering on the
brink of collapse, according to Gaza's civil defense.
"The lack of options and alternatives left them with no other choice," said
Aboud Majdalawi, a rescuer with the force.
In the aftermath of the collapse, people were searching desperately for
loved ones or their remains.
A group of men were seen carrying the headless body of a child. Others sat
atop a pile of rubble, pulling desperately at flashes of color they believed
could be clothing worn by a survivor. All they found were dust-caked blankets
wedged in the debris.
The collapse comes as rescuers in the strip are trying to unearth hundreds
of bodies from buildings collapsed by Israeli strikes earlier in the war with
limited tools and only a handful of excavators. On Wednesday the U.N. human
rights chief said he worried the bodies recovered so far are just the "tip of
the iceberg."
"It is heartbreaking that the loved ones of those missing for so long are
only now having their worst fears confirmed," he said. "Much of Gaza has been
flattened by Israeli bombing or demolition and clearing by heavy machinery and
explosives."
Despite an October ceasefire that has reduced fighting in Gaza, Israel has
continued to carry out strikes, killing at least 1,375 people since the
agreement went into effect, according to local health officials.
The nearly three-year Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 73,789
Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, part of the
Hamas-run government, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable
by U.N. agencies and international organizations. It doesn't distinguish
between civilians and militants, but says women and children make up around
half of the toll.
|
|
