In Gaza, the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has brought a temporary pause to fighting, but for many like Mahmoud Abu Dalfa, the anguish continues. Abu Dalfa is frantically searching for the bodies of his wife and five children, still trapped under the rubble of their home in Gaza City’s Shejaia neighborhood since December 2023.
An Israeli airstrike destroyed the building, killing 35 members of Abu Dalfa’s extended family. With bombs falling relentlessly at the time, only three bodies could be recovered.
“My wife and all my five children—three daughters and two sons—are still under the rubble. I had triplets,” Abu Dalfa told Reuters. “I just want to bring them out and give them a grave. That’s all I want from this world.”
In Muslim and Arab traditions, burials are usually conducted within hours of death. The inability to recover bodies and ensure proper burials adds to the grief of mourning families.
Since the ceasefire began on Sunday, the Palestinian Civil Emergency Service has recovered approximately 200 bodies, but the process has been slow and difficult. Mahmoud Basal, head of the service, said they face severe equipment shortages, with many vehicles destroyed and over 100 staff members killed during the conflict.
Basal estimates that around 10,000 Palestinians killed in the war remain buried under rubble or in mass graves. A recent U.N. damage assessment revealed that removing the over 50 million tonnes of debris from Israeli bombardments could take 21 years and cost $1.2 billion.
Thousands of Gaza residents are still searching for relatives either buried under ruins or hastily placed in mass graves during the conflict.
Rabah Abulias, a 68-year-old father, is determined to give his son Ashraf, killed in an Israeli strike, a dignified resting place.
“I know where Ashraf is buried, but his body is with dozens of others. There is no grave for him, no tombstone with his name,” Abulias said. “I want to make him a grave where I can visit him, talk to him, and tell him I am sorry I wasn’t there for him.”
As humanitarian aid continues to flow into Gaza, officials from the Palestinian Authority have engaged with European counterparts to manage key crossings with Egypt and Israel.
Egypt has also sent equipment to repair roads damaged by the Israeli ground offensive, facilitating aid delivery and recovery efforts.
