Hundreds of mourners gathered in Gaza City for what is believed to be one of the territory’s largest funeral ceremonies after the remains of 112 people, largely women and children, were recovered from the ruins of a residential building destroyed during the early months of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The victims, members of the Abu Sharia and Hassayna families, were discovered following a two-week recovery mission at the Sabra neighbourhood, where an Israeli air strike struck a multi-storey residential complex on 22 November 2023.
Emotional scenes unfolded as rows of bodies, wrapped in Palestinian flags and, in some cases, accompanied by photographs, were prepared for burial before grieving relatives carried them to their final resting place.
According to family records, those recovered included 40 children, 38 women and seven persons living with disabilities.
The two families are part of the same extended clan.
One mourner, Ali Abu Sharia, described the burial as an important step toward finding some measure of peace after nearly three years of uncertainty.
He said the recovery of the victims had brought overwhelming sorrow but also offered relatives the opportunity to bury their loved ones with dignity despite the continuing trauma of the conflict.
The strike occurred during a period of intense Israeli bombardment, weeks after the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that left about 1,200 people dead and 251 others taken hostage.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has not publicly responded to requests for details regarding the intended target of the strike.
Health authorities in Gaza report that at least 73,377 people have died since the conflict began.
The casualty figures, compiled by the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, are regarded by the United Nations as broadly reliable.
The recovery effort was led by Gaza’s Civil Defence agency with logistical and technical assistance from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
ICRC spokesperson Patrick Griffiths said the organisation supplied essential equipment, including protective clothing, digging tools and body bags, while also providing specialised training and funding the use of two excavators to assist with the operation.
He noted that although confirming the deaths of missing relatives is deeply painful, it enables families to grieve properly and begin the process of emotional healing.
BBC journalists witnessed the initial phase of the excavation last month as heavy machinery cleared debris before rescue teams carefully searched the site by hand for human remains.
Civil Defence spokesperson Mohammed Basel said rescue workers were unable to reach the location immediately after the strike because security coordination was required and conditions on the ground posed significant risks.
Family members remained at the scene throughout the excavation, helping responders identify where relatives had been trapped beneath the collapsed structure.
Nahed al-Hassayna, whose family lived in the building, expressed anguish while showing personal belongings recovered from the rubble, including a child’s school bag and a shoe belonging to two young relatives.
Another survivor, Yousef Abu Sharia, said he was the only remaining member of his immediate family after losing his parents, uncle and several cousins in the attack.
Authorities believe many more victims remain buried beneath the debris, while thousands of people across Gaza are still missing and presumed trapped under buildings destroyed during months of heavy fighting.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong