Bodies of families, killed in an Israeli strike in 2023 and recently recovered from the rubble, are draped in Palestinian flags during their funeral in Gaza City.
The remains of 112 Palestinians, including dozens of women and children from the same extended family, were recovered from the rubble of their homes in Gaza City nearly three years after an Israeli strike, according to Gaza’s Civil Defence.The remains of the Abu Sharia and Al-Husayneh families were buried Tuesday in what Gaza authorities described as one of the largest mass funerals held in the territory since the war began. Row upon row of bodies were laid on stretchers and covered with Palestinian flags as hundreds gathered to mourn.According to Gaza Civil Defence, the Israeli strike hit the families’ residential compound in the Sabra neighbourhood on November 23, 2023, during the second month of the war. Recovery teams were only able to reach the site in mid-July and spent the following two weeks searching through the destroyed buildings for remains.Mohammad Al-Mughayyir, director of operations at Gaza Civil Defence, said rescue crews worked for 17 days to recover the 112 bodies and remains. He said workers had to dig through concrete and twisted metal, often without adequate machinery.Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal said 44 of those recovered were children. He said more than 8,000 bodies were still believed to be trapped beneath rubble across Gaza.The recovery operation was assisted by two excavators rented by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Pat Griffiths, an ICRC spokesman in Jerusalem, confirmed to AFP that the organisation had hired two of the few excavators available in Gaza for such work.Gaza’s Civil Defence and humanitarian organisations have repeatedly raised concerns about shortages of heavy equipment needed to clear rubble and recover bodies. Israel controls access into Gaza and has restricted the entry of equipment, according to the agencies cited in the reports.At Tuesday’s funeral, relatives described the ceremony as a long-awaited opportunity to bury family members who had remained beneath the ruins since the strike. Ahmed Abu Sharia, a relative of those being buried, said the victims included children, women and elderly people.Israel’s military has not responded to a request for comment specifically about the November 2023 strike, according to the report. Throughout the war, however, the Israeli military has said it targets militants and has accused Hamas of operating in areas where civilians are present, putting them at risk.The funeral came as Gaza continued to face the consequences of the prolonged war. According to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its military campaign following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, in which 1,221 people were killed and 251 taken hostage, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.A ceasefire took effect in October, but efforts to reach a lasting settlement have stalled. Israeli forces currently control nearly 70% of Gaza, while Gaza’s Health Ministry says at least 1,252 Palestinians have been killed since the truce.The scale of destruction has made recovery efforts particularly difficult. A Gaza Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment published in April by the World Bank, European Union and United Nations estimated that around 68 million tonnes of rubble were spread across the territory.The reports also noted that more than 60% of Gaza’s population had lost their homes during the war.AFP said restrictions on media outlets and limited access to Gaza prevented it from independently verifying casualty figures or freely covering the violence.
