Life in buildings on the verge of collapse in Gaza: “Pieces fall from time to time, in my room or in the ones next door”
Displaced families are settling in homes with structural problems instead of in tents, despite over 2,000 structures throughout the Strip being at risk of collapse.
In Gaza, residents are living in constant fear as buildings appear to be on the brink of collapse. Mohammed al Zatma, a 34-year-old father, rushes out of his own partially destroyed apartment in the Amal neighborhood west of Jan Yunis to safety. His children and grandchildren were playing in the exposed part of the building, which was hit by Israeli bombardment and lacks railings or barriers to protect them from falling off the third floor.
Al Zatma scoops up his youngest daughter, Mennatullah, who was just four years old, and secures her on a sofa several meters away. He then guides his older sons, Hossam Eddin, six, and Majd, eight, further into the interior. Over 2,000 buildings across Gaza are at risk of collapsing, according to Gaza's Civil Defense. In mid-September, a residential building called Al Sa'ada partially collapsed in Gaza City, killing around 20 people and leaving dozens more missing.
Written by urgent.news from El Pais's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
