Gaza Holds Mass Funeral for 112 Palestinians Recovered from Rubble After 2023 Massacre

Gaza, MINA – Gaza City held an unprecedented mass funeral on Tuesday for 112 Palestinians from two families, after their remains were recovered from beneath the rubble of homes destroyed by Israeli bombing during the genocide in the Al-Sabra neighborhood, south of the city, the Palestine Information Center reports.

The scale of the funeral and the number of victims offered a living record of one of the largest massacres to hit Palestinian families during the genocide.

An open square in the city was filled with dozens of bodies wrapped in white shrouds and the Palestinian flag, lined up in a heavy scene as relatives gathered to bid farewell to victims who had been denied burial for long months.

The sounds of crying, prayers and chants of “Allahu Akbar” rose among the crowds, as families stood before coffins carrying their children and relatives who had remained under the rubble since late 2023.

Read Also: Israeli War in Gaza Kill 11,900 Palestinian Women

The funeral was organized after Civil Defense crews and rescue teams managed to recover the bodies following days of search operations under difficult field conditions and amid a severe shortage of equipment.

On Saturday, the Civil Defense announced the end of search operations in a residential block in the Al-Sabra area after 136 hours of continuous work, during which crews recovered the victims’ remains.

Data showed that the victims included 40 children, 38 women and seven people with disabilities, reflecting the civilian nature of the casualties and reinforcing the description of the attack as a large-scale massacre that targeted entire families inside their homes.

The massacre dates back to November 23, 2023, when the Israeli army bombed a residential block that included homes belonging to the Al-Hasayna and Abu Sharia families in the Al-Sabra neighborhood, hours before the start of the first humanitarian truce. The attack killed dozens of civilians and buried them under the rubble.

Read Also: Israeli Army Tightens Gaza Blockade With Trench and Embankment Along Yellow Line

The bodies remained trapped beneath the debris for months, as rescue crews were unable to reach the area because of ongoing military operations and the danger on the ground. Once access was recently made possible, the recovery operation became a race against time to retrieve the victims and lay them to rest.[]

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)

Read Also: 145 Israeli Settlers Desecrate Aqsa Mosque Under Police Escort