Civil defense retrieves bodies of 94 Palestinians from rubble in Gaza

By Ramzi Mahmud and Rania Abu Shamala

GAZA CITY, Palestine/ ISTANBUL (AA) – Gaza Civil Defense said Saturday it recovered the bodies of 94 Palestinians from the rubble in the enclave.

In a statement, the organization said the bodies were retrieved in central Gaza City and transferred to the forensic department at Al-Shifa Medical Complex to arrange their burial in the Martyrs’ Cemetery in the central city of Deir al-Balah.

Thousands of Palestinians are believed to remain buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings in Gaza since the start of the Israeli war on the enclave in October 2023.

Civil Defense said it managed, in cooperation with the ministries of health and religious endowments, to transfer thousands of bodies buried in random locations to cemeteries in the enclave.

Israel has killed nearly 70,700 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,100 others in attacks in Gaza since October 2023, before the assault came to a halt under the ceasefire deal that took effect on Oct. 10.