Damaged Buildings Leave Gaza Families Living Under Constant Fear of Collapse

Heba Arafat walks uphill across the living room of her apartment in Gaza City.

The floor is sharply tilted after the building’s foundations collapsed following damage during Israel’s military operations in Gaza.

Arafat, 47, is among thousands of Palestinians living in damaged buildings because they have nowhere else to go.

“We were forced to live here because we had nowhere else to go,” she said. “All of our homes were destroyed, our land was razed and we have nothing left.”

The family lives in Gaza City’s Al-Shati Refugee Camp. Arafat shares the apartment with her husband and six daughters.

The family left the building during the conflict that began in October 2023. They returned after a ceasefire in October 2025.

When they came back, they found that their four-storey building had suffered major structural damage. Arafat said the ground floor had collapsed inward following an Israeli ground operation in the area.

About 30 people now live in the building, she said.

Gaza Faces Widespread Structural Damage

The scale of damage across Gaza has left many residents facing difficult choices.

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A UN assessment found that 84 per cent of structures in Gaza had been damaged or destroyed by October 2025.

Gaza’s civil defence authorities have also warned that about 2,000 buildings across the territory are at risk of collapse.

The danger became clear again last week.

A six-storey building in Gaza City collapsed, killing 21 people, including 12 children, according to local authorities. They said the building had been hit repeatedly by Israeli airstrikes.

Israel denied striking the building.

The UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, Ramiz Alakbarov, said people across Gaza were living in hundreds of damaged and unsafe shelters.

‘Where Can We Go?’

Arafat said her family understands the danger but has few alternatives.

“Where can we go? Even though this house is dangerous,” she said.

The building’s windows were destroyed by blasts. Bedsheets now cover the openings and provide limited privacy.

Arafat demonstrated the angle of the floor by placing a water bottle on it. The bottle immediately rolled toward the opposite side of the room.

Gaza City municipal teams have been inspecting damaged buildings. Officials mark structures they consider dangerous.

Hosni Muhanna, a spokesman for Gaza City, said unsafe buildings pose a threat to residents and displaced people sheltering inside them.

However, he acknowledged that many families are likely to remain in such buildings because safer options are unavailable.

“Thousands of displaced people are forced to seek shelter in these dilapidated buildings,” Muhanna said.

He said damaged buildings can appear preferable to displacement camps that provide limited protection from extreme weather.

Most Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced at least once during the conflict. Many continue to live in tents or makeshift shelters.

Reconstruction Remains Stalled

Living conditions in displacement camps have also created additional health concerns.

Overcrowding and inadequate waste disposal have contributed to the spread of diseases, including skin infections such as impetigo.

For some families, damaged buildings therefore represent a difficult alternative to crowded camps.

Gaza’s economy has also suffered extensive damage. Many residents remain dependent on humanitarian assistance.

Israel has restricted the entry of some equipment into Gaza. Israeli authorities say certain items could have military applications.

Humanitarian organisations say the restrictions also affect reconstruction.

The equipment includes heavy machinery needed to remove rubble. It also includes spare parts and lubricants required to maintain machinery, according to UN officials.

The reconstruction process has yet to begin on the scale required.

A joint assessment by the United Nations, World Bank and European Union estimated in April that Gaza would require about $71.4 billion for recovery and reconstruction over the next decade.

For families such as Arafat’s, however, rebuilding remains a distant prospect.

“We’re afraid a wall or the roof might fall on us,” she said. “So we huddle together, afraid that one of us might get hurt.”