A building housing dozens of people collapsed in Gaza City early Wednesday morning, leaving rescuers clawing with bare hands through rubble until determining that 21 people, including 11 children, had been killed in their sleep.
The sudden collapse of the building — which was known to be unstable because of 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.
There’s been no reconstruction work since the ceasefire was agreed to almost a year ago. Israel has said that it won’t allow any rebuilding until Hamas disarms. Israel has allowed only a handful of excavators into Gaza.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories -- the Israeli military body charged with coordinating aid to the Gaza Strip -- didn’t respond when asked if it would allow in machinery to help with the collapse.
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