Gaza launches emergency plan to evacuate and demolish 255 war-damaged buildings

Gaza’s Government Media Office on Sunday announced the launch of an “urgent emergency plan” led by the Ministry of Public Works and Housing in cooperation with various government ministries, institutions and international and UN bodies to evacuate and demolish 255 buildings damaged during Israel’s genocide on the enclave and considered at risk of collapse. The move follows several partial and complete collapses of buildings previously damaged by Israeli strikes, including the collapse Wednesday of the Al-Saada building in Gaza City, which killed 21 Palestinians. The plan is intended to eliminate the “imminent danger” posed by buildings at risk of total collapse and protect displaced people and other residents staying inside them, the media office said in a statement. Authorities have been instructed to immediately begin field procedures under the evacuation plan, including placing warning signs around dangerous buildings and working to provide temporary shelter for affected families. The media office said specialized government committees are continuing field assessments of damaged buildings and identifying families still living inside them. It said the effort faces major challenges, including a lack of funding, shortages of heavy machinery and equipment needed for safe evacuations due to the Israeli blockade, and a lack of available land to accommodate displaced families. On Wednesday, the Public Works and Housing Ministry said around 3,000 buildings had been classified as dangerous or at risk of collapse because of damage sustained during the Israeli war. Widespread destruction of residential buildings has forced thousands of Palestinians to remain in damaged and unstable structures because of severe shortages of adequate shelter. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, 61 Palestinians have been killed in collapses of buildings damaged during the war. Since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on Oct. 10, 2025, dozens of war-damaged buildings have collapsed on residents who had no alternative shelter amid shortages of suitable tents and Israel’s restrictions on the entry of temporary prefabricated homes into Gaza. Palestinian government bodies as well as international and UN organizations have repeatedly called for shelter materials to be allowed into the enclave to prevent further deaths from building collapses and exposure during winter, but those appeals have not led to an Israeli response. Since Oct. 8, 2023, Israel’s genocide on Gaza has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and injured over 174,000 others, according to Palestinian figures, while an estimated 90% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.