Gaza Herald —The Director of Gaza’s Civil Defense has warned that the continued ban on the entry of heavy machinery is preventing the recovery of an estimated 10,000 bodies still buried beneath the rubble across the Gaza Strip.
Brigadier General Raed Al-Dahshan said in a press statement on Friday that Civil Defense teams have so far been able to recover around 350 bodies. In contrast, thousands of others remain inaccessible under collapsed buildings. He explained that in numerous instances, families already know the identities and locations of their loved ones. Still, prolonged delays and the inability to reach the sites mean that what is often retrieved are only skeletal remains.
Al-Dahshan noted that the Civil Defense has lost approximately 85 percent of its equipment during the war and is currently operating at just 5 to 7 percent of its pre-war capacity, leaving the agency nearly paralyzed.
Rescue crews, he said, are working with extremely limited and improvised tools, sometimes using only their hands. At present, the service has one functioning fire truck, one rescue vehicle, and a single ambulance.
He also revealed the heavy toll on Civil Defense personnel, stating that 142 staff members were killed while carrying out their humanitarian duties, and 352 others sustained severe injuries that permanently removed them from service, including amputations, lasting disabilities, and critical trauma.
Al-Dahshan stressed that without the immediate entry of heavy equipment, the recovery of the dead and the dignity of their families will continue to be denied, while rescue efforts remain severely constrained.
