Gaza’s civil defence authorities confirmed the recovery of 19 bodies, primarily women and children, from the wreckage of a residential building in Gaza City. The operation at the “Karam” building in the city’s western sector concluded on Saturday following four days of intensive search efforts, according to Mohammed Abu Dan, who oversees the recovery teams.
Following the completion of this mission, specialized medics and rescue crews are transitioning to a new site within Gaza City to continue their search. Officials have consistently highlighted that these operations are severely hindered by a lack of heavy machinery, forcing personnel to rely on manual labor and rudimentary tools to clear massive concrete slabs resulting from Israeli strikes.
The scale of the crisis remains significant, with the Gaza Health Ministry estimating that more than 8,000 individuals are still missing under the rubble throughout the territory. Since the implementation of a ceasefire on October 11 of last year, the ministry has recorded 1,254 deaths, 4,121 injuries, and the recovery of 804 bodies from debris. The cumulative death toll since the conflict began in October 2023 has surpassed 73,300, with over 174,000 people wounded.
This latest recovery follows a mass funeral held Tuesday for 112 members of the Abu Sharia and al-Hasayna families. Their remains were recently retrieved from a residential block in the Sabra neighborhood that was destroyed during an Israeli strike in November 2023.