Recovery of bodies from devastated buildings in Gaza begins

Civil defense teams in Gaza on Tuesday began extracting the bodies of 13 Palestinians from under the rubble of a multi-story building destroyed in the early days of the Israeli assault. The operation is being carried out in the Al-Kateeba area, west of Gaza City, in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross at the home of the Westernia family.

Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal told the Anadolu Agency that the attack resulted in a large number of Palestinian deaths, with some bodies extracted at the time, while 13 bodies remained under the rubble. He noted that the victims included women, children, and the elderly.

Basal emphasized that the efforts to extract thousands of Palestinians trapped under destroyed buildings across Gaza are being constantly hindered due to a severe shortage of heavy machinery, equipment, fuel, and safety gear. He said that if they continue in this state, it may take years to complete the relief work.

Basal stated that civil defense teams are working with extremely limited resources, as they often lack proper safety equipment when removing bodies, human remains, and debris. He clarified that these teams continue to work without salaries, bonuses, or compensation and have appealed to the international community, global organizations, and human rights organizations to provide necessary heavy machinery and logistical support to continue relief work.

Tuesday's operation is part of the second phase of the civil defense project launched on July 19 to extract Palestinians trapped under destroyed buildings in the Israeli war. According to Basal, this 800-hour phase includes 147 destroyed homes in Gaza City, northern, and central Gaza, where 1,072 bodies are feared to be buried under the rubble.

In the first phase, which began in November 2025, teams extracted 333 bodies and human remains from 54 destroyed houses and buildings. Due to limited resources, they were unable to reach approximately 226 other bodies.

The Gaza government's media office reported in October 2025 that around 9,500 Palestinians have gone missing since the start of the Israeli war, believed to be trapped under the rubble, with the fate of some still unknown.

The Israeli army continues to target Palestinians in several areas of Gaza, despite the Israel-Hamas ceasefire that came into effect on October 10, 2025. According to Gaza's Ministry of Health, at least 1,258 Palestinians have been killed and 4,139 injured as a result of ceasefire violations.

In the genocidal war against Gaza that began in October 2023, Israel has martyred over 73,000 Palestinians and injured more than 174,000. The war has caused widespread destruction, affecting 90% of the region's infrastructure.