Gaza Herald – Civil defense crews have recovered the bodies of 20 Palestinians from beneath the rubble of a home destroyed by Israeli forces during the genocide as recovery efforts continue amid severe operational constraints.
The remains were pulled from a home in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, which had been demolished during the genocide while residents were inside. Using basic tools and working under harsh conditions, rescue teams retrieved the bodies and transferred them to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City for burial procedures.
The Civil Defense authority stated that since the start of the genocide, thousands of bodies have been recovered from destroyed homes, streets, and targeted areas. However, several thousand more are believed to remain trapped under debris, with Israeli restrictions and lack of equipment continuing to obstruct recovery operations.
Many areas where bodies are believed to be located remain inaccessible either due to limited resources, given that recovery requires heavy machinery and specialized equipment, or because the sites are under Israeli military control.
During the genocidal war, Israeli forces reportedly destroyed significant portions of civil defense infrastructure, including rescue vehicles and operational headquarters. The agency confirmed that 142 of its personnel were killed while carrying out humanitarian duties, 39 emergency vehicles were destroyed, and 18 out of 19 facilities across Gaza were fully demolished, including the main headquarters in Gaza City.
Repeated appeals by Civil Defense for the entry of rescue equipment into Gaza have gone unanswered, while Israel continues to block the import of essential machinery needed for recovery efforts.
Since the ceasefire took effect, 630 people have been killed and 1,698 injured, with 735 bodies recovered during that period. The cumulative toll since October 7, 2023, now stands at 72,097 killed and 171,796 injured, with an unspecified number of victims still buried under rubble or lying in areas unreachable to emergency teams.
