Remains of 21 Palestinians recovered in Gaza, search begins for 40 more

Gaza Civil Defense teams recovered the remains of 21 Palestinians on Saturday from beneath two homes destroyed by Israeli attacks during the genocidal war in the Gaza Strip, according to a spokesman.

They began searching for the remains of 40 more believed trapped under a third house.

Mahmoud Basal told Anadolu that rescue teams recovered the remains of 12 Palestinians from beneath the Batniji family home near the Asqula area in eastern Gaza City after completing search operations at the site.

He said crews also recovered the remains of nine Palestinians from the Gharbiyah family home in the Katiba area in western Gaza City.

Basal said teams later moved to the al-Maghribi family home in the Zeitoun neighborhood in eastern Gaza City after receiving reports that the remains of 40 Palestinians were buried beneath the rubble.

He renewed warnings about the severe challenges facing Civil Defense teams due to acute shortages of heavy machinery, equipment, logistical supplies and fuel needed for recovery operations.

The shortages have significantly slowed search efforts and limited the ability of crews to reach the large number of destroyed buildings, he said, as he urged the international community to provide the necessary equipment.

The recovery operations are part of the second phase of a project launched by the Civil Defense on July 19 to retrieve bodies from beneath destroyed buildings.

At the launch of the second phase, Basal said the operation would cover 147 destroyed homes in Gaza, North Gaza and central Gaza, where the remains of an estimated 1,072 Palestinians are believed to be buried under the rubble.

The first phase of the project, launched in November 2025, recovered 333 bodies and human remains from 54 destroyed homes and buildings. Civil Defense officials said limited resources prevented teams from reaching 226 other bodies trapped beneath the debris.

Around 9,500 Palestinians have been reported missing since the start of the war, including many believed to be under the rubble of destroyed buildings, according to Gaza's Government Media Office.

Israel has continued its military offensive in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. Palestinian authorities said more than 73,000 people have been killed and over 174,000 injured, most of them women and children, while about 90% of the enclave's infrastructure has been destroyed.