Gaza buries 50 Palestinians recovered from Israeli rubble
Families mourn victims whose remains were trapped for months as Gaza’s devastated rescue system struggles to recover thousands still missing
GAZA CITY, Palestine (MNTV) — Gaza held a mass funeral Thursday for 50 Palestinians whose remains were recently recovered from buildings destroyed during Israel’s devastating war on the besieged territory.
The victims, members of several families including the al-Sawafiri, al-Batniji and Gharbiya families, were killed in Israeli attacks during the early months of the war and remained buried beneath the ruins of homes and buildings in Tal al-Hawa, Zeitoun, Sabra, Sheikh Radwan and Shati.
Their burial came weeks after another mass funeral in Gaza, where the remains of 112 Palestinians were laid to rest after being recovered from the site of an Israeli attack in the Sabra neighborhood in November 2023.
The funerals have exposed the enormous human toll left behind by Israel’s prolonged bombardment.
Gaza’s Civil Defence estimates that about 8,000 Palestinians remain missing and are believed to be buried beneath collapsed buildings, meaning many families are still waiting for the remains of relatives killed in the attacks.
Search and rescue teams face severe shortages of equipment. Gaza currently has only one excavator available for recovering bodies from destroyed structures, dramatically slowing an already desperate effort to retrieve victims from the rubble.
Talking to Al Jazeera, Munir al-Bursh, director general of Gaza’s Health Ministry, called for heavy machinery, specialized recovery equipment and forensic supplies to be allowed into the territory so that bodies can be recovered and identified.
The latest funeral also took place amid continued Israeli attacks despite a ceasefire agreement that took effect in October. At least 1,266 Palestinians have reportedly been killed and another 4,200 injured in Israeli attacks since the agreement began.
The figures add to the staggering devastation caused by Israel’s genocidal war, which Gaza authorities say has killed at least 73,400 Palestinians and wounded more than 174,300 since the conflict began in October 2023.
Women and children account for most of the reported casualties, while around 90 percent of Gaza’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.
The scale of destruction means that even after the deaths occurred, Palestinians continue to endure the consequences of the Israeli war as bodies remain trapped beneath ruined homes and neighborhoods.
For grieving families, recovering and burying the dead has become another painful chapter in a war that has already devastated much of Gaza.
The mass funeral came a day after a Hamas delegation led by political bureau chief Khalil al-Hayya met Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha to discuss developments in Gaza.
Qatar said Hamas had reaffirmed its commitment to a US-backed proposal that includes the group’s disarmament as part of a broader plan to end the war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has retracted from the commitment and rejected the 15-point proposal, which also calls for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war.
Qatar’s foreign minister urged the international community to pressure Israel to comply with its commitments and stop violations against Palestinians, underscoring the continuing gap between diplomatic efforts and the reality facing civilians in Gaza.
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