The death toll from a collapsed six-story building housing dozens of displaced families in Gaza City has risen to 10 as a child's body was retrieved, with more than 60 others feared missing, according to the civil defense authorities in the region on Wednesday.
Civil defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal told Agence France-Presse that they have recovered the bodies of 8 martyrs, including children, and 15 injured people from under the rubble of the six-story residential building that collapsed early Wednesday morning in western Gaza City.
He indicated that more than 60 people are still missing beneath the debris and noted that the building had been structurally compromised after suffering damage from multiple Israeli airstrikes during the recent conflict.
Later reports confirmed the death toll had climbed to 10 after the discovery of a child's body under the building's ruins.
The collapse occurred while the building's residents, including displaced families, were asleep.
Mahmoud Basal explained that the building collapsed around 2 AM, describing the incident as a "new tragedy."
Earlier, the Ministry of Health in the area and eyewitnesses reported that the bodies of six victims had been delivered to Al-Shifa Medical Complex, as search and rescue operations continue.
The Gaza civil defense reported that the six-story Saada building collapsed on its residents and adjacent tents housing displaced people, stating that teams have been working with Gaza municipality since midnight to rescue those trapped, despite a dire shortage of equipment and heavy machinery.
According to area residents, the building housed more than 60 people, most of them displaced, and had been previously damaged during earlier Israeli airstrikes.
Witnesses noted that rescue teams were using limited equipment to reach those trapped, with one child reportedly stuck under the debris for over an hour, and urged the civil defense to seek assistance from those equipped with heavy machinery to aid in rescue efforts.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that the death toll of the ongoing war in Gaza, initiated by Israeli forces on October 7, 2023, has risen to 73,789 fatalities and 174,798 injuries.
They stated that since the ceasefire on October 11, the total number of victims has increased to 1,375 deaths and 4,686 injuries, with a total of 831 extrication cases.