Gaza teams recover remains of 55 Palestinians from family home rubble
Civil defence teams completed a 72-hour search in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighbourhood, nearly three years after the Malka family home was reportedly struck.
Gaza civil defence teams have recovered the remains of 55 Palestinians from the rubble of the Malka family home in Gaza City, nearly three years after the building was reportedly destroyed in an Israeli air strike.
The recovery operation concluded on Saturday after teams searched beneath the remains of the building for 72 hours, according to Gaza’s civil defence. The operation was hindered by a shortage of heavy machinery, forcing rescue efforts to rely largely on manual work.
The Wafa news agency reported that the building in the Zeitoun neighbourhood was struck on 19 November 2023 while displaced members of the family were sheltering there. The identities of all those recovered and the circumstances of the strike have not been independently verified in the supplied material.
Gaza authorities said further remains may still be trapped beneath rubble or inaccessible in the streets. Gaza’s Ministry of Health, UN agencies and aid organisations estimate that between 10,000 and 14,000 people remain missing beneath rubble across the territory, though the figure has not been independently verified.
The UN Satellite Centre, cited by Al Jazeera, says 82 per cent of buildings in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged during the war. A joint funeral procession for the recovered remains is expected next weekend, although the timing may change.
