Three women from the same family were killed, and a married couple remains missing, on Sunday morning after a residential house collapsed in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City — an incident that starkly illustrates the imminent danger facing thousands of families living in homes damaged by sustained bombardment.
Medical sources reported the deaths of Iman Labad, Jana Akram Labad, and Sundus Mohammad Labad, while Mohammad Saeed Labad and Rania Mohammad Labad remain unaccounted for following the collapse of their home. The house reportedly suffered severe structural cracks caused by Israeli attacks in recent months, leading to its collapse onto those inside.
The incident occurred amid an extremely hazardous housing reality in Gaza, where many families continue to live in homes that are cracked or at risk of collapse after being directly or indirectly damaged by bombardment. With the intensification of winter weather systems and heavy rainfall, these structures have effectively become death traps, threatening the lives of residents at any moment.
The right to life is a fundamental and non-derogable human right. Likewise, the right to adequate and safe housing is an integral component of the economic and social rights guaranteed to every individual. Forcing civilians to remain in structurally unsound homes without providing safe alternatives or effective protection constitutes a direct violation of these rights, particularly when the damage results from large-scale military actions.
International humanitarian law imposes a clear obligation to protect civilian objects, including homes, and prohibits their destruction or damage to the extent that they become uninhabitable unless strictly required by imperative military necessity. It also requires the adoption of all feasible precautions to spare civilians from harm — including indirect dangers such as post-strike structural collapses.
The consequences of house collapses extend beyond immediate loss of life. They include the erosion of safety and stability, the displacement of families, and deep psychological trauma, especially among women and children. Such incidents also place additional strain on an already overwhelmed health system and emergency services suffering from severe shortages of resources.
In recent weeks, dozens of homes across the Gaza Strip have collapsed due to structural damage sustained during the ongoing bombardment since 7 October 2023, compounded by harsh weather conditions. In the absence of viable alternatives and amid a deteriorating humanitarian situation, many residents have been left with no choice but to remain in unsafe housing.
The tragedy faced by the Labad family underscores the scale of the housing and humanitarian catastrophe confronting Gaza’s population. It confirms that the danger does not end with the cessation of bombardment but continues in the form of collapsing homes and lives placed at constant risk. Ensuring the rights to life and safe housing requires urgent action to address widespread residential damage, provide genuine protection for civilians, and prevent their continued exposure to avoidable and foreseeable dangers.
