Palestinians in Gaza are still tormented by not being able to find the bodies of their family members who have been killed and buried under the rubble for weeks or months by Israel’s siege, Islamic Relief says.
Israel has killed or injured around 160,000 people in Gaza and almost everyone there is grieving. The death toll is over 45,000 but the real number is likely far higher with many lost in the rubble. Homes, schools and hospitals are in ruins, entire neighbourhoods wiped out, and the streets are full of 50 million tonnes of debris that if piled up would be 12 times the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Despite the ceasefire and a much needed increase of food deliveries to Gaza there have been delays in rubble removal due to the lack of heavy machinery the Israeli government has been allowing into the enclave. Islamic Relief puts renewed pressure on Israel to reverse this blockade of rescue equipment.
A Palestinian man called Ibrahim who lost his wife and four children under the rubble after their building in Al-Maghazi camp was hit by an Israeli airstrike on 25th December 2023 is still waiting for the debris to be cleared so that he can retrieve their bodies. He told Islamic Relief:
“On the 25th December 2023 the house was targeted. I was at the Al Maghazi Girls shelter centre when I heard news of the bombing. I rushed back here. I found the house completely destroyed. And it had nothing recognisable left. The remains of the bodies of those killed were everywhere.”
“I checked the bodies one by one. None of them my own [family]. So I gave up… Then I found out my son Muhammad was alive right there. I came back in the morning of the second day. I checked the whole place. I couldn’t find anyone else from my family members. They are still under the rubble.”
“I tried to communicate with Civil Defence and the relevant authorities. They say there is no equipment. It’s my wife and three daughters Lana, Layan, and Rana and a 4 month old baby Hamada…There were 60 killed… Every day my son and I come to visit this place. What can we do.”
The death toll in Gaza continues to increase as more bodies are found buried under destroyed buildings. Thousands of people are still missing and unaccounted for, Islamic Relief says. The destruction is expected to take years to clear.
Islamic Relief is delivering food and water, clearing rubble, and providing psychosocial support and physical rehabilitation for wounded children, and we have a longer-term plan to help rebuild homes and schools if the ceasefire holds. As humanitarian access improves and more aid is allowed to enter Gaza Islamic Relief is determined to further increase its response
