At least 16 killed as war-damaged Gaza building collapses

At least 16 people, including children, have been killed and dozens remain missing after a war-damaged building collapsed in the Gaza Strip, according to local rescue teams.

Video footage showed rescuers continuing to search for bodies and survivors in the rubble of the multi-storey building in the Tal al-Hawa area of Gaza City, where the floors had collapsed on top of one another.

Local residents said 10 families had been living in the apartments despite warnings that the building was unsafe.

Members of the Hamas-run Civil Defence rescue service said they initially had to work with “empty hands” because of tight Israeli restrictions on equipment allowed into Gaza. They have since managed to borrow some heavy machinery to assist the rescue operation.

Separately, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza on Tuesday killed at least five Palestinians, including two children and a Hamas commander, according to health officials and Hamas sources.

The Israeli military said it had killed a Hamas commander in southern Gaza and another fighter in the north. A child was also reportedly killed in each incident.

Meanwhile, the British charity Medical Aid for Palestinians said a patient was killed by an Israeli drone at a health centre it supports in Jabalia in northern Gaza.