Building collapse in Gaza kills at least 21 people, and other Mideast developments

A building used by displaced Palestinian families collapsed in Gaza City, killing at least 21 people, while Saudi Arabia was reported to be reaching out to allies for help with defenses as it deals with Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia blamed the Houthis for a drone that was intercepted while headed toward the holy city of Mecca, though the militia denied it.

A U.N. health official, meanwhile, warned about disease as thousands of Yemenis are displaced because of armed conflict there.

Here’s a look at the latest news in the Middle East on Wednesday. Full coverage can be found here.

Rescuers search through rubble for survivors

The Gaza City building that collapsed had been partially destroyed in an Israeli strike earlier in the war. At least 21 people, including 11 children, died Wednesday, said Zaher al-Wahidi, a spokesperson for the Gaza Health Ministry.

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the collapse. At least 14 were injured, al-Wahidi said.

Such incidents have become a major hazard in Gaza, where the majority of buildings have been damaged or destroyed. There’s been no large-scale reconstruction work since the ceasefire from nearly a year ago. Israel has said that it won’t allow any major rebuilding until Hamas disarms.

Saudi Arabia says drone shot down near Mecca

Saudi Arabia said that the kingdom’s defenses intercepted and destroyed a drone Tuesday evening before it entered the airspace over Mecca, Islam’s holiest city and a focal point for followers of the faith.

Mecca’s security is “a red line,” military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said, adding that Saudi forces won’t hesitate to act against “hostile and terrorist behavior.”

Mecca is the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and the location of the Kaaba, the black cube-shaped structure that Muslims around the world turn to five times a day when praying. It’s about 1,100 kilometers (680 miles) from Yemen’s border.

Saudis seek help from allies

Two regional officials said that Saudi Arabia is running low on missile interceptors and has turned to regional and Western allies for assistance in its standoff with the Houthis.

The officials said the Saudis have asked France, the United Kingdom, Pakistan and Egypt to deploy air-defense support to the region to help defend against missiles and drones fired by Iran-backed groups. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief the media.

The outreach was initiated because Saudi Arabia’s arms supplier, the United States, has seen its own stock of interceptors dwindle over the course of a nearly seven-month war with Iran, one official said.

U.N. official warns of a health crisis in Yemen

The head of the World Health Organization is warning about the risks of malnutrition and infectious disease outbreaks as more than 100,000 Yemenis relocate to crowded areas.

The displacement, especially on the west coast, is a result of fighting between Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Houthis. Saudi Arabia is also entangled in the conflict, on the side of the government.

“Humanitarian access remains severely constrained, and funding shortfalls threaten our ability to sustain and scale up the response,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news conference in Geneva.

More oil tankers appear to transit critical waterway

Oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz have recovered somewhat as tankers risk using a southern route near the coast of Oman with guidance from U.S. forces.

Estimates vary because the ships turn off their location systems, but range from 5 million to 7 million barrels per day on average, compared with 15 million barrels per day before the Iran war began on Feb. 28.

Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline — another key oil route — was hit by a drone attack last week. The damage is expected to take weeks to repair, potentially cutting Saudi exports from the Red Sea port of Yanbu by 2.5 million to 2.7 million barrels per day.

Protests in Syria halt oil trucks

Hundreds of oil trucks were stranded in northeastern Syria after demonstrators blocked a major highway near Tal Tamr to protest recent fuel price increases of 30% or more.

The government announced increases for gasoline, diesel and other petroleum products Sunday, citing rising global fuel prices as a result of the Iran war as well as repairs being done at the Baniyas refinery on Syria’s coast.

Syria produces around 100,000 barrels of oil per day, while it needs about 325,000 barrels per day for domestic consumption and relies on imports to make up the difference.

Mourners attend funeral of Hamas figure

Dozens of people turned out for the funeral of a Hamas military chief in the southern Gaza Strip. Nael Abu Obeid was killed Tuesday in an Israeli strike on Rafah near the border with Egypt.

Obeid was commander of Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam brigades, in the southern city of Rafah.

Separately, Israel’s military said that it killed a Hamas military official in a Gaza airstrike last week. The military said that Jihad Sameeh Mahmoud Ismail took part in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

U.N. chief says defusing Mideast crises is top priority

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said that the need to push for peace is critical “at this crucial moment in the Middle East.”

“The only path forward is de-escalation, diplomacy and dialogue,” not military action, he told a U.N. news conference Wednesday before the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly starting Tuesday.

Guterres said “the creeping annexation of the West Bank must stop,” the Gaza peace plan must be implemented with unrestricted humanitarian aid, and the right to freedom of navigation must be restored in and around the straits of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb.

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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.