Building damaged by Israeli bombing collapses, killing 21 people including children

The body of a child is carried away from the rubble of a collapsed building that housed displaced Palestinians and was heavily damaged during Israeli bombing (Image: AP)

A DAMAGED building in Gaza City housing about six displaced families collapsed on Wednesday, killing at least 21 people and injuring more than 25.

Among the dead were at least eight children and five women, according to Zaher al-Wahidi, a spokesperson for the Gaza Health Ministry.

The toll is expected to rise as the search for victims buried in the rubble continues.

Video footage taken at the scene showed civil defence crews surveying the wreckage and using bulldozers to dig out people, including children.

Palestinian civil defense crews search for bodies and survivors in the rubble of a collapsed building that housed displaced Palestinians (Image: AP)

The building had been partially destroyed in an Israeli strike earlier in the genocide. It was not immediately clear what caused it to collapse.

Such incidents have become a major hazard in Gaza, where the majority of buildings have been damaged or destroyed.

Dozens of bombed-out multi-storey structures have collapsed, particularly during winter weather.

Displaced families have often returned from tent camps to homes damaged by bombardment during the almost three years of relentless attacks by Israel.