Palestinians in northern Gaza held funeral ceremonies on Sunday for about 100 people, including 60 children, whose remains were recovered from destroyed buildings in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighbourhood. Family members carried the remains to al-Ma’madani cemetery in central Gaza City for burial, according to correspondent Ghazi al-Aloul.
Civil defence crews and relatives spent weeks digging through the ruins. The remains were often fragments of bone and belongings rather than complete bodies, Al-Aloul said.
Why recovery is taking so long
Raed al-Dahshan, head of Gaza’s civil defence service, said recovery operations are being delayed by a lack of heavy machinery and protective equipment. He said his agency had submitted a detailed equipment list to international institutions and would accept the machinery remaining under international control. For additional context, see “Israel’s defence minister says Trump support is sought for Gaza plan”.
Dahshan said crews identify people by speaking with survivors and neighbouring families about who was inside a building and where they were when it was struck. Engineers then sort and document the findings in the field.
Key points
- The extended Malaka family lost 55 members, according to the report.
- Gaza’s civil defence service estimates that about 8,000 bodies remain under rubble.
- Civil defence chief Raed al-Dahshan said recovery could take about 90 days with proper equipment.
- Requested equipment includes large excavators, protective gear and search equipment.
- The UN human rights office said some recovered remains dated back to November 2023.
Access remains a major obstacle
Al-Aloul said families had waited a long time to bury relatives in known cemeteries, adding that not every family had been able to do so. He also said cemeteries elsewhere in Gaza had been destroyed and dug up during the war. A related part of this story is covered in “Gaza teams recover remains of 55 from Malka family home”.
Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN human rights office in the occupied Palestinian territories, said access was difficult in areas that may be under Israeli military control. He called for accountability and said evidence recovered during the process needed to be preserved.
What happens next
Gaza’s civil defence service says it has plans to continue recovery operations and is seeking the machinery and protective equipment needed to carry them out. The development of this issue can be followed in “Palestinian killed in Jerusalem while Qusra families remain under siege”.
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