More than 15 people were in the bombed house in the Shujayea neighbourhood, Hani Mahmoud of Al Jazeera reports from Deir el-Balah, central Gaza.

“People are trapped under the rubble. Some family members sheltering in the residential home were in the basement, which makes it extremely challenging for the civil defence crews on the ground,” the reporter said.

“First responders are struggling to remove large pieces of concrete and to retrieve bodies,” he added.

“Civil defence members have to use their bare hands or manually operated tools to remove huge pieces of debris. From a video we’ve seen, local residents volunteered to assist in the grim effort,” Mahmoud said.