A spokesman for the Civil Defense in Gaza said on Sunday that about 8,000 bodies are still under the rubble of destroyed buildings, stressing the need for crews to obtain dozens of excavators and the necessary equipment to speed up the recovery operations.
Hot Topics
Indonesian volcanoes continue to erupt, raising fears of damage to agriculture
Mouthwash: A common habit with limited benefits and health concerns
The spokesman appealed to the international community to push for the entry of emergency supplies and additional personnel to support the civil defense teams, which continue their work amid a severe shortage of heavy equipment and resources.
According to a report published on October 8, a Civil Defense spokesman was quoted as saying, "Crews have recovered about 1,000 bodies in the year since the ceasefire was declared, while thousands of bodies remain under the rubble."
In the latest announced operation, Palestinian families in the Al-Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City bid farewell on Saturday to the bodies of 75 people recently recovered from under the rubble of destroyed buildings, after being inaccessible for years.
The difficulties of the work are not limited to the lack of equipment, but also include the risks of damaged buildings and unexploded ordnance, as well as the limited capabilities of forensics and DNA testing needed to identify the owners of the remains.
The spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza, Amani al-Naouq, warned in statements carried by the media that the search for, recovery and identification of the bodies could take years.