Thousands of bodies lie buried in rubble in Gaza. Families dig to retrieve them, often by hand

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In Gaza, amidst the extensive destruction, thousands of corpses remain entombed in debris. Local families, driven by grief and determination, excavate through the wreckage, frequently resorting to manual labor, in a desperate bid to recover their loved ones. The devastation stretches block upon block, the air heavy with a harrowing stench. Day after day, countless individuals sift through mountains of debris, using whatever tools they can find, sometimes just their hands.

Their search is for the remains of family members – children, parents, friends – all casualties of Israeli missile attacks. Buried within this vast landscape of ruin, these victims were predominantly civilians, their whereabouts still unknown.

This grim reality persists over five weeks into the conflict between Israel and Hamas. In Gaza, the conditions are dire: the streets resemble graveyards, and there is a severe shortage of essential resources like equipment, manpower, and fuel, hampering the search efforts for both survivors and the deceased.

Hamas, the organization responsible for the lethal attack on October 7, which resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities in Israel, has established many of its bases within the densely populated areas of Gaza. Israeli forces, targeting these bases, have unfortunately also impacted the civilian population.

Among those still unaccounted for are the relatives of Omar al-Darawi. In the ruins of what once were two four-story residential buildings in central Gaza, 32 out of 45 inhabitants perished. Al-Darawi’s ongoing search is for his five missing cousins, including Amani, a 37-year-old mother, Aliaa, a 28-year-old caregiver, and another Amani and her 14-year-old daughter.

The Health Ministry of Hamas-controlled Gaza reports over 11,200 deaths due to the attacks, with a significant proportion being women and children. The U.N. estimates around 2,700 missing persons, including 1,500 children, believed to be buried under the rubble.

In the northern part of Gaza, including Gaza City, the search efforts are further complicated by ongoing clashes between Israeli forces and Hamas militants. This has led to mass evacuations southward, as residents flee the combat zones and heed Israeli evacuation warnings. However, safety remains elusive throughout Gaza due to continued Israeli airstrikes and shelling.

The Palestinian Civil Defense, the primary search-and-rescue entity in Gaza, has faced severe challenges. More than two dozen of its workers have been killed, and over 100 injured since the onset of the conflict. The department, as reported by spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal, struggles with inadequate resources, including a lack of fuel and damaged vehicles.

In central Gaza, outside the northern combat zone, the situation is equally bleak. The area’s civil defense director has no operational heavy machinery, essential for search and rescue operations. This shortage of equipment and fuel severely hampers the search for bodies, shifting the burden to families and volunteers like Bilal Abu Sama, a former freelance journalist.

The human cost of this conflict is not just in lives lost, but also in the anguish of those left behind, who continue their grim search amid the ruins, hoping to find their loved ones and provide them with a dignified burial in accordance with their religious customs. This ongoing tragedy in Gaza underscores the profound and lasting impact of the conflict on its civilian population.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Gaza aftermath

More about Gaza aftermath

• Gaza Conflict Overview
• Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
• Israeli-Hamas Conflict Impact
• Search and Rescue Efforts in Gaza
• Civilian Casualties in Gaza Conflict
• Gaza’s Struggle with Burial Rites During Conflict
• Personal Stories from Gaza’s Rubble