Gaza Civil Defense continues recovering thousands of bodies from rubble

Civil Defense officials in Gaza are continuing efforts to recover thousands of bodies buried under rubble one year after a ceasefire took effect, France 24 reported on October 23, 2026. Officials stated that 1,000 bodies have been recovered so far during the search operations. [1]

Recovery teams estimate that between 8,000 and 10,000 additional bodies remain trapped under debris across the territory, France 24 reported. Officials added that 3,000 of those unrecovered bodies are located in specific targeted areas. [1]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, search teams recently recovered the remains of 75 people from destroyed buildings in Gaza City, leading to a mass funeral. Most of those victims were retrieved from the Daraj neighbourhood in northeastern Gaza City and were buried at Sheikh Radwan Cemetery, while an Al Jazeera reporter noted that the majority of the remains belonged to women and children. [2]

Civil Defense officials described the remaining task as immense as workers continue to clear the debris to locate missing persons, France 24 reported. [1]