World

75 Palestinians Buried After Remains Found in Gaza Ruins

By Al Jazeera Staff

A mass funeral was held on Sunday morning for 75 Palestinians whose remains were recovered from the rubble of homes and buildings destroyed since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023. The Gaza Health Ministry said most of the victims were from the Daraj neighbourhood in the northeastern part of Gaza City. Hundreds of Palestinians attended the procession before the remains were buried at Sheikh Radwan Cemetery. Al Jazeera correspondent Nour Khaled reported that the majority of the remains were of women and children who were inside their homes when they were targeted. The remains, which included 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, told the Turkish state news agency Anadolu that the remains had been recovered over recent weeks from several destroyed homes in Daraj. He said the buildings were bombed while residents were inside during the early months of the war and that the victims belonged to about 20 Palestinian families, including people who had been displaced to the homes. He added that efforts to recover bodies from beneath the rubble continue to face severe difficulties due to a lack of equipment and heavy machinery. The Civil Defence launched the second phase of its recovery operations in July. It recovered 333 bodies and remains of 559 people during its first operation in November 2025. The Civil Defence says it believes the remains of another 8,000 Palestinians are still trapped beneath the rubble across Gaza. According to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, there are about 200,000 damaged and destroyed buildings in Gaza. At least 74,475 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched the war three years ago.