Gaza civil defense says it has recovered 112 bodies from rubble in Gaza City

Gaza's Civil Defense agency said Saturday its crews had recovered the bodies and remains of 112 people from beneath the rubble of homes destroyed by Israeli strikes in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City.

In a statement, the agency said crews had completed a search operation launched nearly two weeks ago in a residential block that it said the Israeli army had "destroyed over its inhabitants."

According to the agency, the residential block, which included homes belonging to the al-Hasayna and Abu Sharia families, was struck on Nov. 23, 2023, one day before the first truce in the Gaza war took effect.

The agency said its crews recovered the bodies during 136 hours of "arduous" work carried out over nearly two weeks.

The victims included 40 children, 38 women and seven people with disabilities, it said.

Mohammed Abu Dan, who supervised the operation, said crews were unable to recover another 157 bodies believed to remain buried beneath the rubble.

"The crews were digging with their hands through masses of reinforced concrete," Abu Dan said, describing the lack of equipment as the biggest obstacle to the operation.

He said some bodies were trapped in concrete and steel reinforcement, which he said reflected the destructive force of the munitions used.

"Many bodies disintegrated and evaporated because of the intensity of the explosion," he added.

Abu Dan urged humanitarian organizations to pressure Israel to allow the entry of heavy equipment needed to continue recovery efforts.

The search formed part of the second phase of a project launched by the Civil Defense on July 19 to recover bodies believed to be buried beneath rubble.

Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal said at the launch of the phase that crews would spend 800 hours searching 147 destroyed homes across Gaza City and the northern and central parts of the enclave, where an estimated 1,072 bodies are believed to remain trapped.

Gaza's government media office said in October 2025 that about 9,500 Palestinians had been reported missing since Israel launched its offensive in October 2023, including people believed to be buried beneath collapsed buildings.

Under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement that took effect on Oct. 10, 2025, Israel was to allow the entry of heavy machinery needed for recovery operations. Gaza authorities and Palestinian factions accuse Israel of failing to fulfill that obligation.

The ceasefire ended two years of war in Gaza, during which more than 73,000 Palestinians were killed and over 174,000 injured, according to Gaza authorities. The UN has estimated reconstruction costs at around $70 billion.