Over 700 Bodies Recovered in Gaza Since Start of Truce

Gaza Authorities Report Recovery of Hundreds of Bodies from Rubble
Authorities in the Gaza Strip have recovered the bodies of more than 700 Palestinians buried under the rubble since the start of the truce in the territory on October 10 last year, an official source announced today.

The Gaza Ministry of Health specified that since that date, the bodies of 713 Palestinians have been extracted from beneath the thousands of tons of debris scattered across the coastal enclave.

Ibrahim Abu Al-Reesh, director of field teams in the Gaza Governorate Civil Defense, highlighted that between 55 and 60 bodies were recovered over the weekend.

Challenges in Identification and Burial
The bodies were transferred to Al-Shifa Hospital for identification and handover to their families, the official explained, as cited by the Shehab news agency.

Al-Reesh detailed that those impossible to identify will be buried in the Cemetery of the Unknown Martyrs, located in the city of Deir al-Balah.

He noted that "the lack of machinery, equipment, and vehicles hinders the work of Civil Defense" and accused Israel of preventing their entry.

Health Risks and Scale of Destruction
He also warned of health risks arising from the decomposition of bodies and the possibility of disease outbreaks due to the scarcity of protective equipment.

Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Civil Defense in Gaza, estimated that more than 10,000 people remain buried under the millions of tons of rubble covering the coastal enclave.

Context of Missing Persons and Destruction
In October, a Palestinian NGO estimated that between 8,000 and 9,000 Palestinians are missing in the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli aggression.

The Palestinian Center for Missing Persons considered that the majority are buried under the rubble or in areas of Israeli military concentration.

According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), over 61 million tons of debris are scattered across the territory as a result of the war.