Gaza Funeral Marks 112 Dead in 2023 Strike

The recovery effort was carried out in Gaza by Civil Defence, which operates under the Hamas-run interior ministry, with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross. Patrick Griffiths, a spokesperson for the ICRC, said the group supplied gloves, shovels, protective gear and body bags, trained crews to work safely and rented excavators for the operation. He said confirming a death is not the answer families want, but it can help them receive closure and mourn in their own way.

Last month, the BBC observed the beginning of the dig in Sabra, where a single bulldozer first moved through the debris before crews continued by hand. Civil Defence spokesman Mohammed Basel said the building had been flattened and suggested more than 180 civilians had been inside. He said most were killed, and explained that emergency crews could not reach the site on the day of the strikes because access required coordination and conditions were too dangerous.

Relatives stayed at the scene to guide workers during the search. Nahed al-Hassayna pointed to the remains of his family’s living room and held up belongings of two young relatives, including a school backpack and a shoe, while asking why children were killed. Yousef Abu Sharia said he was the sole survivor of his family and had lost his mother, father, uncle, cousins and the rest of his relatives under the rubble.

The burial also underscored the scale of Gaza’s unresolved death toll. Dozens more bodies are believed to remain at the same site, and thousands across the strip are still unaccounted for, with many thought to be buried beneath debris from Israeli airstrikes. For Americans watching the war, the Gaza funeral is another reminder that the conflict’s human cost continues long after the bombs fall, and that recovery and accountability will shape what comes next.