Buried Under Rubble: Gaza’s Hidden Death Toll Rising Everyday as Search for the Missing One Continues
As the ceasefire in Gaza takes hold, a chilling new challenge emerges: the recovery of bodies buried under rubble from the past 15 months of warfare.
Deir Al-Balah (Gaza Strip): As the ceasefire in Gaza takes hold, a chilling new challenge emerges: the recovery of bodies buried under rubble from the past 15 months of warfare. Corpses continue to surface every day, unearthed from areas that were once too dangerous for search-and-rescue teams. These bodies, many of them uncounted until now, represent the “missing” of Gaza – those who haunt the families torn apart by the relentless conflict.
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The Forgotten Victims: The “Uncounted Dead”
For the Gaza Health Ministry, these victims are merely a tragic footnote beneath the daily death tolls. Every day, 50 to 120 recovered bodies are logged, but many more remain buried under rubble or scattered across the streets, inaccessible to rescue workers. The official death toll stands at 47,283, but experts and rights groups believe it is a severe undercount, as many bodies are simply impossible to identify or recover.
Families Search for Loved Ones: A Grieving Quest
As the ceasefire began, families returned to their destroyed homes, anxiously waiting as civil defense teams dug through the rubble. They were desperate to find the missing—some hopeful, others resigned. Samira Alshaar, whose son Ibrahim Qeshta was killed by an airstrike while trying to escape, watched as her remaining son, Abdullah, desperately clawed through concrete and twisted rebar. After days of digging, Abdullah found his brother’s remains, giving the family the closure they so desperately needed.
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8,000 Missing and Unrecovered: An Estimate that Haunts Gaza
According to Gaza health official Zaher al-Wahidi, roughly 8,000 people are still missing, based on family reports. While this estimate remains unverifiable due to the chaos of war, it offers a grim reflection of the ongoing search. Some bodies have rotted in the rubble or sun for months, and others have been discovered in the streets, left where they fell due to blocked access and constant airstrikes.
The Forensic Effort: A Dire Need for Support
In the face of mounting losses, Gaza’s forensic teams work tirelessly. In Rafah, bodies and remains are painstakingly identified and bagged, while officials beg for help from international bodies. Without proper resources, including advanced DNA testing and more heavy machinery, the identification and proper burial of the dead remain a significant challenge.
The Strain on Civil Defense Teams: A Call for Help
Civil defense workers continue their recovery efforts with limited resources. Gaza’s three excavators are insufficient to handle the scale of the task. With many areas still inaccessible, workers struggle with only shovels, and the need for larger machinery and rubble removal specialists is urgent.
A Heart-Wrenching Search for Closure
Amidst the devastation, many families continue the painful process of identifying remains. Mohammad Deifallah, searching for his brother in the Rafah forensics center, described the gut-wrenching process of trying to identify his loved one’s remains from body bag to body bag. For him, the search continues—marked by despair and uncertainty.
As the ceasefire holds, the fate of the uncounted and missing remains a harrowing reality for Gaza’s survivors. The road to recovery, for both the living and the dead, remains uncertain.
