A funeral procession took place Sunday in Gaza City's Zeitoun neighbourhood for approximately 100 Palestinians whose remains were recovered from the rubble of homes destroyed during the Israeli war that began in October 2023 [1, 2, 3, 4]. The victims included an estimated 60 to 70 children [1, 5, 3].

The deceased belonged to several families including Rahim, Balawi, Malaka, Qanbour, and Salmi, with the Malaka family alone losing 55 members [1, 2, 3, 4]. After funeral prayers, the bodies were buried at Al-Ma’madani and Al-Ahli cemeteries in Zeitoun [1, 3, 4].

Thousands of Palestinians attended the funeral, including relatives and community and political figures [2, 3, 4]. Mahmoud Murtaja, a relative of some victims, said, "It is as though they were killed yesterday. Here they are before you, but you cannot embrace them or bid them farewell. All that remains are skulls and bones" [3].

The remains were recovered as part of a recovery project launched in July 2026 to locate and retrieve bodies still trapped beneath rubble from buildings destroyed in the conflict [1, 3, 4]. The first phase, which began in late 2025, recovered about 333 remains out of an estimated 559 missing under rubble. The second phase, starting July 19, 2026, targets remains from 147 destroyed homes across Gaza City and northern and central Gaza [3, 4].

Raed al-Dahshan, head of Gaza Civil Defence, said equipment shortages continue to hamper recovery efforts. "We don’t have equipment, we don’t have protective equipment. If that equipment is barred from entering Gaza … this work will continue for years," he said [1]. Recovery operations remain limited by shortages of heavy machinery and equipment caused by Israeli restrictions [1, 3, 4].

Since the outbreak of hostilities in October 2023, the Gaza Health Ministry reports at least 73,651 Palestinians have been killed and 174,592 injured [2]. In recent weeks, over 500 bodies were recovered from the al-Taj Tower site and more than 100 from the Abu Shariah and Hassaniya families [2].

The funeral on September 6 marks a solemn milestone in ongoing efforts to recover victims buried under Gaza's rubble. Recovery work continues amid logistical and political challenges.