Gaza building collapse death toll rises to 21, officials say

LONDON -- The death toll from Wednesday morning's building collapse in Gaza City increased to 21 as of Thursday, according to the latest update published by the Hamas-run Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip. Among those killed were 12 children, five women, two men and two elderly people, the ministry said. At least 14 others were injured, according to the ministry. The high-rise residential building had been housing a large number of Palestinian families displaced by the war between Hamas and Israel. Its collapse on Wednesday morning prompted a major search and rescue operation. Rescuers excavate rubble to retrieve bodies from a collapsed building in the Tal al-Hawa area of Gaza City on Sept. 16, 2026. Omar Al-qattaa/AFP via Getty Images A number of people are thought to still be missing beneath the rubble, the health ministry said on Wednesday. Gaza's Committee for the Reception and Recovery of Bodies said more than 60 were missing as of Wednesday afternoon. Popular Reads Iran live updates: 'Hopefully we're toward the end of the war,' Trump says 2 hours ago Judge blocks adding Trump tribute to Kennedy Center in scathing ruling 2 days ago Trump blames global diesel shortages on Ukraine, says Tehran wants a deal Sep 13 The building is among many in the Palestinian territory that were damaged by Israeli strikes during the war, which began after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack into southern Israel. A spokesperson for Gaza's Civil Defense, which operates as part of the Hamas-run Interior Ministry, said on Wednesday that some 2,000 buildings across the strip are at risk of collapse. A 2025 United Nations investigation using satellite imagery found that around 81% of all structures in the Gaza Strip had been damaged since the start of 2023. And as of April 2026, another UN report said that more than 1.2 million people -- almost 60% of Gaza's population -- had lost their homes. ABC News' Diaa Ostaz, Nasser Atta, Samy Zyara and Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.