Palestinians on Sunday held funerals for the bodies of 75 people killed by Israel in the genocide in Gaza, after civil defence teams worked for three years to retrieve the bodies from under the rubble despite a lack of specialised equipment.
The families of those killed gathered in Gaza City in a mass funeral organised by the Martyrs’ Families’ Association and in coordination with the General Directorate of the Civil Defence.
The mass funeral was held inside the al-Daraj Sports Stadium, with prayers offered for the deceased before the bodies were carried to the Sheikh Radwan Cemetery in northern Gaza.
Kamal Hijazi, whose loved ones were among those killed, told The New Arab that being able to hold a funeral was somewhat a relief.
“The rubble formed a barrier between us and giving the dead a proper farewell, in a way that was dignified and befitting of them. The Israeli occupation does not recognise the dignity of Palestinians, whether they are dead or alive- but we will not allow the rubble to be the grave of our martyrs,” he said.
He also called on the relevant authorities in Gaza to preserve and document the data of those killed and recovered in the hopes that “there will be justice in Gaza”.
“We will not ask anything of the international community, as we have no confidence in it,” he continued.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal confirmed that around 8,000 Palestinians remain buried under the rubble, with teams unable to recover their remains due to a lack of resources.
“Civil defence teams are working under extremely difficult conditions without heavy machinery to remove the rubble burying the bodies. Children, women and the elderly are dying, and no one is able to retrieve their bodies from under the rubble, all while the world, human rights groups, all while Arab and Western countries stand by and watch without lifting a finger,” he said.
One of the people who attended the funeral procession, Najat Abdel Aaal, told The New Arab that 10 of her family members were among those recovered, noting that most of them were women and children.
She said during the time of the bombing when they were killed, she screamed and cried out for help.
“But at the time, crews were only able to pull out a few people from under the rubble, and the bodies of my family and relatives were buried for three years,” she explained.
“Retrieving the bodies after three years has reopened the wounds we all feel. It has brought up a mixture of relief and pain, but families have finally been able to bid farewell to their loved ones and lay them to rest,” she added.
Israel’s war on Gaza, which commenced in October 2023, has killed over 74,000 Palestinians and has been determined to be a genocide by leading international rights groups and scholars.
The war has levelled entire neighbourhoods, devastated the healthcare system, and destroyed many civilian buildings, including residential blocks, places of worship and schools.
Despite a ceasefire agreed in October 2025, with the terms demanding that aid deliveries are made daily, Israel has obstructed scores of items from entering the enclave, including heavy machinery and specialised tools used to find and recover the dead from beneath the rubble.
A report from Euro-Med Human Rights Monitors states there is approximately 68 million tonnes of rubble across the Gaza Strip.
The lack of equipment has raised concerns that without forensic surveys, any efforts to recover bodies could result in the crushing or scattering of remains.
According to human rights group Gisha, Israel continues to define thousands of critical emergency humanitarian items as “dual use” and blocks them from entering the enclave.
The listed items, ranging from construction materials to wheelchairs, sleeping bags, and portable toilets, have hindered the reconstruction of Gaza.
