A rain-triggered house collapse in Gaza City has killed a 57-year-old man and injured six others, underscoring the worsening humanitarian crisis as winter storms batter already war-damaged neighbourhoods.

The incident occurred earlier this week in the Shati refugee camp, where Osama al-Hussari’s partially damaged home gave way after days of relentless rain. The house was sheltering 25 people, including al-Hussari’s wife Rawiya, their 10 children and several extended family members displaced by the conflict.

Roof collapses during repair attempt

According to al-Hussari, rainwater had begun flooding the home through cracks in the roof, prompting him to seek help from a neighbour, Mohammed al-Helou, a construction worker of the same age. While inspecting the damage, part of the roof suddenly collapsed.

Mohammed was trapped under the rubble for nearly two hours before civil defence teams recovered his body. Six others were injured in the collapse, including two children who sustained fractures.

“It was terrifying, like dust and stones exploding in my face,” al-Hussari told Al Jazeera, describing the moment the structure gave way.

War damage left structures dangerously weak

Residents said the house had survived nearly two years of Israeli bombardment but was severely weakened. The surrounding area has suffered extensive destruction, with neighbouring buildings flattened and remnants of heavy explosives scattered nearby.

Explosive robotic weapons were reportedly used during a ground invasion of northern Gaza earlier this year, leaving structures compromised and unsafe. With few alternatives, families have continued to occupy damaged homes rather than live in tents amid plunging temperatures.

“We believed concrete was safer than tents,” al-Hussari said. “We never imagined it would collapse on us.”

‘Nowhere left to go’

Rawiya al-Hussari recounted fleeing the house with her children as it began to crumble, only to learn that her son Mohammed was trapped beneath the debris alongside his uncle.

“I ran back screaming his name,” she said. Her son survived, but the man beside him did not.

The family lost all their belongings in the collapse and now faces displacement once again. With tents scarce and cold weather claiming lives across Gaza, residents say they feel trapped between bombardment, structural collapse and exposure.

“We don’t know how we are supposed to die — by bombs or by buildings falling on us,” Rawiya said, standing amid the ruins.