GAZA BURIES REMAINS OF 75 PALESTINIANS RECOVERED FROM RUBBLE

Gaza’s Ministry of Health said a mass funeral was held on Sunday for 75 Palestinians whose remains were recovered from destroyed buildings. Hundreds of people joined a procession from outside the Daraj Sports Club to Sheikh Radwan Cemetery in Gaza City. Relatives had gathered beside the remains on Saturday evening to say goodbye. Those arranging the funeral wrapped the remains in Palestinian flags before burial. Most came from the Daraj neighbourhood in north-eastern Gaza City.

Abdullah al-Majdalawi of Gaza’s Civil Defence said teams had recovered the remains from several destroyed Daraj homes in recent weeks. He said Israeli bombing struck the homes while residents were inside during the early months of the war that began in October 2023. According to al-Majdalawi, the victims came from about 20 Palestinian families, including people displaced to those homes. Nour Khaled said most of the remains belonged to women and children “who were inside their homes when they were targeted”. Khaled said teams also found body parts and personal belongings.

Civil Defence began a second phase of recovery work on 19 July. Mahmoud Basal of Civil Defence said teams planned to search 147 destroyed homes across Gaza City and northern and central Gaza, where the organisation believed 1,072 bodies were trapped. Accounts of the first phase, which began in November 2025, differ: one gives 333 bodies plus the remains of 559 people, while another gives 333 recoveries from 559 people believed buried beneath 54 buildings. Basal said limited resources had prevented teams from reaching about 226 others. Civil Defence estimates that another 8,000 Palestinians remain beneath rubble across Gaza, and al-Majdalawi said shortages of equipment and heavy machinery continued to hinder recovery.