Gaza Civil Defense recovers 21 bodies from ruins, begins search for 40 others

Gaza Civil Defense teams have recovered the remains of 21 Palestinians from the ruins of two homes destroyed during the conflict in the Gaza Strip. Rescue workers recovered 12 individuals from the Batniji family home near the Asqula area in eastern Gaza City and nine individuals from the Gharbiyah family home in the Katiba area in western Gaza City.

Search operations have now shifted to the al-Maghribi family home in the Zeitoun neighborhood, where officials believe the remains of 40 more people may be located under the rubble.

Mahmoud Basal reported that rescue efforts are being severely hindered by a critical shortage of heavy machinery, equipment, logistical supplies, and fuel. These shortages have significantly slowed the ability of teams to reach the high number of destroyed buildings. This current operation is part of a second phase of a recovery project aimed at extracting remains from 147 destroyed homes across Gaza, North Gaza, and Central Gaza, where an estimated 1,072 Palestinians are believed to remain under the rubble.