Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza live in damaged, collapsing buildings due to lack of safe shelter alternatives as reconstruction efforts remain stalled.
Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are living in structurally compromised buildings damaged during years of conflict, with no safe alternatives available. The UN estimates 84 percent of Gaza’s structures were damaged or destroyed, and local authorities say 2,000 buildings risk collapse.
- ▪Gaza City resident Heba Arafat, 47, lives with her family in a four-story building tilted at a steep angle after Israeli airstrikes collapsed its foundation; 30 people occupy the structure.
- ▪Last week, a six-story building collapsed in Gaza City, killing 21 people including 12 children; Israel denied striking it, while local authorities said it had been hit repeatedly.
- ▪Gaza’s civil defence identifies 2,000 buildings across the territory at imminent risk of collapse; municipal staff patrol streets marking unsafe structures with stencils.
- ▪An October 2025 ceasefire reduced but did not end Israeli airstrikes; Israel continues to restrict entry of equipment needed for reconstruction, citing potential military use.
- ▪Displacement camps, which house most of Gaza’s displaced residents, face severe conditions including disease outbreaks like impetigo due to overcrowding and lack of waste disposal.
- ▪Gaza’s economy remains in crisis with residents dependent on restricted aid; reconstruction efforts planned under the ceasefire have yet to begin after months of stalled negotiations.
- ▪UN, World Bank, and European Union joint assessment estimates Gaza requires $71.4 billion in recovery and reconstruction spending over the next decade.
- ▪Israel has restricted entry of large machinery needed to clear rubble and spare parts for equipment, according to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
Source: according to media reports
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