Gaza City Building Collapse Kills 12; Saudi Arabia Intercepts Drone Near Mecca
A damaged Gaza City building housing displaced families collapsed, killing at least 12 including four children, while Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a drone near Mecca.
A multistory building sheltering displaced Palestinian families in Gaza City collapsed on Wednesday morning, killing at least 12 people and injuring 15, according to Shifa Hospital. Among the dead were at least four children.
The structure, which had been housing about six displaced families, was partially destroyed in an Israeli strike earlier in the war. Warnings had previously been issued about its safety. The cause of the collapse was not immediately established.
Dozens of people remained missing or trapped beneath the rubble. Video footage showed civil defense crews surveying the wreckage and using bulldozers to dig out survivors, including children.
Building collapses have become a recurring hazard across Gaza, where the majority of structures have been damaged or destroyed during nearly three years of war. Displaced families have frequently moved from tent camps back into bomb-damaged homes, and dozens of multistory buildings have given way during the conflict, particularly in winter weather.
Separately, Saudi Arabia said late on Tuesday that its air defenses intercepted and destroyed a drone before it entered the airspace over Mecca. Military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said the kingdom's forces would not hesitate to act against "hostile and terrorist behavior," describing the security of the holy city as "a red line."
Mecca is the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and the site of the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure that Muslims face during prayer five times a day. It is also where Muslims believe Muhammad first received the revelations of the Quran.
The Iran-backed Houthis in neighboring Yemen denied targeting Mecca. The allegation nonetheless drew condemnations across the Islamic world, including from Pakistan and the 57-country Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Saudi air defenses have been intercepting attacks by the Houthis, who have launched repeated strikes toward the kingdom during the broader regional conflict.