A damaged building housing displaced Palestinian families collapsed in Gaza City on Wednesday, killing at least 16 people, most of them women and children, as other tensions continued across the Middle East.
The multistory building had been badly damaged during the Israel-Hamas war, and residents had previously been warned about its safety.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said Tuesday night that its air defenses had intercepted a drone that the kingdom said was heading toward Mecca, Islam's holiest city. Saudi forces have been defending the kingdom against attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen.
Building collapse kills at least 16
A damaged building in Gaza City that was sheltering about six displaced families collapsed Wednesday morning, killing at least 16 people and injuring more than 25 others.
The dead included eight children and five women, according to Zaher al-Wahidi, a spokesperson for Gaza's Health Ministry. The death toll was expected to increase as rescue teams recovered more bodies from the rubble.
Video footage showed civil defense workers examining the wreckage and using bulldozers to search for survivors, including children.
The building had been partly destroyed in an Israeli strike earlier in the war. The immediate cause of its collapse was not known.
Across Gaza, where most buildings have been damaged or destroyed during the war, dozens of damaged multistory structures have collapsed. Such incidents have been particularly common during winter weather.
Building collapses have become another major danger for residents of Gaza. Many displaced families have returned from tent camps to damaged homes after being forced from their communities during nearly three years of war.
Saudi Arabia says drone intercepted near Mecca
Saudi military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said the kingdom's air defenses intercepted and destroyed a drone Tuesday evening before it entered the airspace over Mecca.
Mecca is Islam's holiest city and a central place of worship for Muslims. It is the birthplace of Prophet Muhammad and home to the Kaaba, the black cube-shaped structure toward which Muslims around the world face during their five daily prayers.
Muslims believe Prophet Muhammad first received God's revelations of the Quran, Islam's holy book, in Mecca.
"The security of the holy city is a red line," al-Malki said, adding that Saudi forces would not hesitate to respond to what he described as "hostile and terrorist behavior."
The Iran-backed Houthis in neighboring Yemen denied targeting Mecca.
The allegation nevertheless drew condemnation from across the Islamic world, including from Pakistan and the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation.