Rescue teams in Gaza concluded a recovery operation on Saturday that retrieved 55 Palestinian remains from the rubble of a residential building in Gaza City destroyed in an Israeli air strike nearly three years ago, according to Gaza’s civil defence authority.
The operation, which supervisory personnel indicated lasted more than 72 hours, represents the latest in an ongoing effort to recover bodies from beneath Gaza’s extensive destruction. The recovery was conducted at the Malka family home in the Zeitoun neighbourhood. According to rescue coordinator Colonel Muhammad Abu Dan, teams had been searching for more than 60 bodies from the Malka family. The building was struck on November 19, 2023, when family members were sheltering inside after being displaced from their own residences.
The recovery effort is part of a broader challenge facing Gaza’s rescue infrastructure. Satellite data indicates that 82 percent of buildings across Gaza have been destroyed or damaged. Authorities and international organizations estimate that between 10,000 and 14,000 people remain missing under rubble across the territory. Abu Dan has appealed to international humanitarian organizations for equipment to increase recovery capacity, and a joint funeral procession for the recovered remains is expected to take place in the coming days.
Since a ceasefire began last October, Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported 17 bodies received at hospitals over a 48-hour period, along with 27 injured people. The health ministry documented at least three additional Palestinian injuries from Israeli attacks on Saturday in separate locations. Overall, the ministry reported 1,344 deaths and 4,464 injuries since the ceasefire began, with 815 bodies recovered from rubble during that period. The cumulative toll since October 2023 stands at 73,470 deaths and 174,540 injuries according to available figures.
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