Gaza families bury bodies of loved ones trapped for years under rubble

Families in northern Gaza are burying relatives whose remains were trapped beneath collapsed homes for years, after Civil Defence teams recovered them from the rubble. The funerals bring an end to prolonged uncertainty, while also reopening grief for relatives who had waited to retrieve and properly bury their loved ones.

In recent days, teams recovered 69 Palestinians from sites in Jabalia refugee camp and Beit Lahiya. Mahmoud Nabhan buried 17 family members, including seven children and grandchildren, killed in an attack in October 2023; Fatima al-Masri’s husband and 18-year-old son, killed in 2024, were also recovered. Gaza’s Civil Defence estimates more than 8,000 bodies remain to be recovered, while the number of missing Palestinians exceeds 10,000 and includes people whose whereabouts are unknown for several reasons.