Fragile Ceasefire: Heartbreak in Gaza as families dig through rubbles for loved ones

Femi Fabunmi 

Thousands of Palestinians have begun returning to northern Gaza to search for relatives buried under the rubble following Israel’s recent airstrikes and a fragile ceasefire announced on Friday.

Among them is 40-year-old Ghali Khadr from Jabaliya, who found fragments of his parents’ remains after their home was destroyed. “My father was strong and fearless,” he said. “All I could recover were parts of their skulls and hands.”

Gaza’s civil defence agency estimates that around 10,000 bodies remain trapped beneath more than 60 million tonnes of rubble across the territory. With roads destroyed and heavy machinery scarce, rescue teams rely on basic tools such as pickaxes and sledgehammers.

“We’re first collecting corpses in the streets to preserve what’s left,” said Khaled al-Ayoubi, head of northern Gaza’s civil defence. “Stray dogs have been attacking bodies.”

Rescue efforts are slowed by unexploded bombs hidden within the debris. Officials say that if Israel allows the entry of heavy equipment, recovery could take up to a year.

Many residents have taken the search into their own hands. Yahya al-Muqra, 32, has been looking for his brother since an airstrike in July. “Even a single bone would let us bury him and find some peace,” he said.

With cemeteries also destroyed, families are resorting to burying loved ones in home gardens or beside damaged graves.
Civil defence worker Fadi al-Salibi said,

“Recovering the bodies helps families honour their martyrs and find closure.”
For many in Gaza, the ceasefire offers little relief — only a painful opportunity to dig through ruins in search of those they have lost.

Source: Guardian UK