Removal of building debris from within the Church of Saint Porphyrius.

SAFE, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme/Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People (UNDP/PAPP), completed the removal of a building at risk of collapse inside the compound of Saint Porphyrios Greek Orthodox Church in the Old City of Gaza, next to the Katib al-Wilaya Mosque, in response to an appeal over the danger of the building collapsing.

The church’s two-storey service building (ground and first floor), with about 225 square metres per floor, was built more than 60 years ago. It was hit by an airstrike during the war that began on 7 October 2023. The ground floor collapsed entirely and the first floor was partly destroyed, leaving the structure leaning towards the historic church on its southern side and resting against it.

The works were based on a structural assessment and a removal and shoring plan prepared by a specialised engineering consultant at SAFE’s request and commissioned by UNDP, under the Structural Assessment and Demolition Planning for Damaged Buildings in the Gaza Strip project. The consultant’s field inspection on 27 August 2026 found the building almost completely destroyed and recommended its full removal, given the severity of the damage and the age of the structure.

Because the building abuts the historic church, the plan called for temporary partial shoring with steel props across a 4-metre strip on the church side, preventing any movement of the building towards the church wall. It specified removal with pneumatic breakers and hand tools, working gradually from the leaning side, with light breaking at the points of contact with the church and manual separation of the building from the church to a depth of at least 4 metres.

The plan estimated the resulting debris at about 600 tonnes, to be stockpiled temporarily in the building’s yard next to the street and then hauled to approved dumpsites. It also set out safety measures, including cordoning off the work area with a protective fence and warning signs to stop movement around the site, and providing workers with personal protective equipment.

His Eminence Archbishop Alexios of Tiberias, Patriarchal Commissioner in Gaza, and the Very Reverend Archimandrite Silas, parish priest of the church, thanked UNDP and its staff for their efforts and their supervision of the debris removal works.

SAFE thanks the church administration for its cooperation throughout the works.