The Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip has warned that approximately 30,000 buildings across the territory are at risk of collapse, posing a serious threat to the lives of nearly 150,000 residents living inside them.

Mohammed Al-Mughayyir, Director of Supplies and Equipment at the Civil Defense, said on Saturday that more than 30 homes have collapsed in recent days, resulting in the martyrdom of 18 citizens, reflecting the worsening urban and humanitarian crisis, according to Sand News Agency.

This comes as the Gaza Strip is experiencing a polar weather depression accompanied by heavy rainfall and strong winds, further exacerbating the suffering of Palestinians living in tents and shelters that lack basic necessities.

Al-Mughayyir explained that the dangers include both direct collapses and hidden risks caused by minor ground tremors resulting from missile strikes on infrastructure, which have created cavities beneath buildings.

He added that these cavities and cracks, caused by explosions from military robots, have weakened reinforced concrete foundations, making buildings particularly vulnerable to collapse, especially with rainwater seepage.

Al-Mughayyir warned of a severe shortage of Civil Defense equipment and the fuel required to confront the disaster, calling on relevant authorities—especially the Egyptian committee—to support them with heavy machinery and specialized equipment.

He confirmed that Civil Defense warnings urging the evacuation of endangered buildings have not received sufficient response due to the lack of suitable alternative shelters that can protect residents from harsh weather conditions.

Al-Mughayyir cautioned that the continuation of the current situation could lead to further collapses and additional casualties during the winter season, urging the international community to provide temporary housing and to immediately begin the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

He also noted that more than a quarter of a million displaced persons have been affected by weather depressions, living in tents and shelters that lack even the most basic protective conditions, according to data from Gaza’s Government Media Office.

Since 7 October 2023, the Zionist enemy—backed by the United States and Europe—has continued to carry out genocide in the Gaza Strip, including killing, starvation, destruction, displacement, and arrests, while ignoring international appeals and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt these crimes.

This genocide has resulted in more than 241,000 Palestinians killed or wounded, most of them children and women, in addition to more than 11,000 missing persons, hundreds of thousands of displaced people, and famine that has claimed many lives, most of them children, along with widespread destruction that has erased most of Gaza’s cities and areas from the map.