Gaza residents forced into unsafe, collapsing buildings as reconstruction stalls

Nearly three years after the war began, Gaza’s reconstruction remains at a standstill, leaving thousands to live in structurally compromised buildings. UN data show that 84% of structures are damaged, and Gaza’s civil defence lists roughly 2,000 buildings as likely to collapse. A six-storey block recently fell, killing 21 people, including 12 children, a tragedy Israel denies striking.

Heba Arafat, 47, now resides with her husband and six daughters in a four-storey apartment that leans dramatically after an Israeli ground operation, illustrating the danger by rolling a water bottle across the floor. Municipal officials mark unsafe houses, yet residents stay because displacement camps offer little protection from extreme weather. Overcrowded camps face health threats like impetigo, and aid deliveries are limited by Israeli restrictions on reconstruction equipment. A joint UN-World Bank-EU assessment projects $71.4 billion in reconstruction needs over the next decade, but the ceasefire process remains stalled.