A mass funeral was held for 75 Palestinians whose remains were recently recovered from the rubble of homes and buildings destroyed since October 2023, the Ministry of Health announced. Hundreds of mourners attended the procession before the remains were buried at the Sheikh Radwan Cemetery.

The majority of the victims were from the Daraj neighborhood in eastern Gaza City. Al Jazeera correspondent Nour Khaled reported that most of the recovered remains belonged to women and children who were inside their homes when they were targeted. The remains, which included some body parts and personal belongings, were wrapped in Palestinian flags before burial.

Abdullah al-Majdalawi, director of public relations and media for Gaza’s Civil Defence, stated that the remains were found over recent weeks in several destroyed homes in Daraj. He indicated that these buildings were bombed during the early months of the conflict while residents were inside, with the victims belonging to approximately 20 Palestinian families, including displaced individuals.

Al-Majdalawi also highlighted that efforts to recover bodies from beneath the rubble continue to face significant challenges due to a shortage of equipment and heavy machinery. The Civil Defence initiated the second phase of its recovery operations in July, following an earlier operation in November 2025 where 333 bodies and remains of 559 people were recovered.

The Civil Defence estimates that the remains of another 8,000 Palestinians may still be trapped beneath the rubble across Gaza. According to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), approximately 200,000 buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed.

The Ministry of Health reported that at least 74,475 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict began three years ago.

The recovery operations are ongoing, with Civil Defence teams working to locate and identify victims. The scale of destruction in areas like Daraj underscores the widespread impact of the conflict on civilian populations.

Families who lost loved ones are seeking closure through these recovery efforts, though the sheer number of missing persons and the ongoing difficulties in accessing and clearing rubble present a continuing challenge.