Mass funeral held for 75 Palestinians whose remains were uncovered in Gaza rubble

A mass burial took place on Sunday morning for 75 Palestinians whose bodies were recently recovered from the debris of homes and buildings destroyed since Israel began its war on Gaza in October 2023, the Ministry of Health said. Hundreds of mourners followed the procession to Sheikh Radwan Cemetery, where the remains were interred.

Most of the deceased came from the Daraj neighbourhood in the northeastern part of Gaza City. Al Jazeera correspondent Nour Khaled reported that the majority were women and children who were inside their homes when they were hit. The bodies, some reduced to fragments, were wrapped in Palestinian flags along with personal belongings before the burial.

Abdullah al‑Majdalawi, director of public relations and media for Gaza’s Civil Defence, told the Turkish news agency Anadolu that the remains had been found over the past weeks in several razed houses in Daraj. He said the structures were bombed while residents were inside during the early months of the conflict and that the victims belonged to roughly 20 families, including people who had been displaced to those homes.

Recovery teams continue to face severe challenges because of a shortage of equipment and heavy machinery. The Civil Defence launched a second phase of its recovery effort in July, after retrieving 333 bodies and the remains of 559 people in its first operation in November 2025. The agency estimates that another 8,000 Palestinians may still be trapped beneath the rubble across Gaza.

According to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, about 200,000 buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed. The death toll reported by Gaza’s authorities stands at at least 74,475 Palestinians since the war began three years ago.