Gaza recovers remains of Palestinians from house destroyed by Israel in 2023

Gaza’s civil defence has said it had recovered the remains of 28 Palestinians from beneath the rubble of a house destroyed by Israel in October 2023.The remains were found at the Abu Naama family's residence in the Daraj neighbourhood of Gaza City, the agency said in a statement.On Saturday, the civil defence said it recovered the remains of seven other Palestinians from two destroyed houses: one belonging to the Nuwairi family in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza and the other to the Atallah family in the Yarmouk area of Gaza City.The recoveries are part of the second phase of the civil defence's project to retrieve the remains of people buried beneath buildings destroyed during Israel’s Gaza genocide.The phase began on July 19 and covers sites in Gaza City, northern Gaza and the Nuseirat refugee camp.The civil defence estimates 1,072 people may be beneath those buildings.Teams plan to search 147 houses across Gaza’s northern and central governorates over 800 working hours.Recovery of victimsCivil defence crews say the work is proceeding slowly because they lack the heavy equipment needed to clear the rubble.Palestinian officials say the ceasefire agreement, in effect since October 10, 2025, provides for the entry of machinery to assist with debris removal and the recovery of victims.In the first phase, which began in late November 2025, the remains of 333 people were recovered.In October 2025, Gaza’s government media office estimated that about 9,500 Palestinians had been missing since the start of the war, including people believed to be buried under destroyed buildings and others whose whereabouts remained unknown.The UN human rights office has also highlighted the continuing trauma caused by the long wait to recover the victims’ remains.Israeli attacksMeanwhile, two Palestinians werekilled andseven others wounded in Israeli attacks in Gaza.The sources toldAnadoluthat 28-year-old Palestinian Uday Adli al-Assar was killed in an Israeli drone strike on the Al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.The body of another Palestinian and an unspecified number of injured people were brought to al-Shifa Hospital after an Israeli drone strike hit a civilian vehicle in the industrial area south of Gaza City, the sources said.Israel'sgenocide has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians and wounded over 175,000 others in Gaza since October2023.