Gaza City:Hundreds of Palestinians gathered on Sunday for the funeral of 75 people, including women and children, whose remains were recently recovered from the rubble of homes destroyed by Israeli forces in Gaza City. The procession began outside the Daraj Sports Club, proceeding to Sheikh Radwan Cemetery for the burial.

According to Anadolu Agency, the remains had been wrapped in Palestinian flags and laid out the previous evening for relatives to pay their respects. Abdullah al-Majdalawi, director of public relations and media for Gaza's Civil Defense, stated that the remains were recovered from several destroyed homes in the Daraj neighborhood. The buildings were bombed while residents were inside, affecting around 20 Palestinian families, including those displaced to the homes.

Majdalawi highlighted the challenges faced in retrieving bodies due to inadequate equipment and machinery. The recovery efforts are part of the second phase of a Civil Defense project initiated on July 19 to retrieve bodies trapped under rubble. Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal noted that this phase targets 147 destroyed homes across Gaza City and other parts of the enclave, with an estimated 1,072 bodies believed to be trapped.

The first phase, launched in November 2025, recovered 333 bodies from 54 destroyed sites, but was hindered by limited resources, leaving about 226 bodies unrecovered. Basal indicated that more than 8,000 Palestinians are still missing under the rubble, warning that recovery could take around eight years with current resources.

Despite a ceasefire agreement in effect since October 10, 2025, which was supposed to facilitate the entry of heavy equipment into Gaza, Palestinian authorities accuse Israel of not fulfilling this and other commitments. Since October 2023, over 74,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 175,000 injured, with about 90% of Gaza's civilian infrastructure destroyed.