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Gaza Strip-Victim Body Recovery/Challenges
Northern Gaza Strip - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of Palestinians walking through rubble
2. Various of Palestinian family living in severely damaged building, rubble
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Suhail Al-Majdalawi, Palestinian survivor:
"My family lived here, and the house was completely destroyed. 17 members of my family were killed. I retrieved 11 bodies. Six remain under the rubble. The bombing occurred in December 2023, and there are still bodies under this house. I sleep here next to the dead."
4. Various of Al-Majdalawi digging through rubble with small tool in search of bodies of his family members
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Suhail Al-Majdalawi, Palestinian survivor:
"After a long wait, I had to borrow some light equipment from the neighbors. My younger brother and I began manually breaking up pieces of concrete slabs. I don't know how to explain it, but I had to recover my mother's body in several pieces."
6. Various of destroyed buildings, rubble
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Raed Al-Dahshan, director, Civil Defense in Gaza:
"We are receiving dozens of calls from citizens asking for help to retrieve bodies from underneath the rubble. However, this requires heavy equipment and cranes, which we do not have. [90 percent of our equipment] was destroyed during the war on Gaza."
8. Various of destroyed buildings, rubble, displaced Palestinians
With public resources stretched thin, Palestinian Civil Defense teams are struggling to recover the bodies of Gazans still trapped under rubble left by Israeli attacks, leaving desperate survivors to use their bare hands and whatever tools they can find to search for their loved ones.
Suhail Al-Majdalawi, a resident of northern Gaza, lives in the ruins of his destroyed home, which also serves as the burial ground for his family members killed in an Israeli bombing. More than a year has passed since the tragedy struck, yet the bodies of six of his loved ones remain buried beneath the debris. Al-Majdalawi spends his days digging by hand and with small tools, determined to recover what remains of his lost family.
"My family lived here, and the house was completely destroyed. 17 members of my family were killed. I retrieved 11 bodies. Six remain under the ruble. The bombing occurred in December 2023, and there are still bodies under this house. I sleep here next to the dead," he said.
Al-Majdalawi waited for Civil Defense teams to assist him in retrieving the bodies of his sons, wife, and mother, but help never arrived due to the lack of heavy machinery and equipment. He recalled the heart-wrenching moment when he was finally able to recover his mother's remains.
"After a long wait, I had to borrow some light equipment from the neighbors. My younger brother and I began manually breaking up pieces of concrete slabs. I don't know how to explain it, but I had to recover my mother's body in several pieces," said Al-Majdalawi.
Since the Hamas-Israel truce took effect in January, Palestinians have been searching through flattened buildings and attempting to recover the thousands of bodies still trapped under the rubble. However, a lack of resources has severely hampered these efforts.
"We are receiving dozens of calls from citizens asking for help to retrieve bodies from underneath the rubble. However, this requires heavy equipment and cranes, which we do not have. [90 percent of our equipment] was destroyed during the war on Gaza," said Raed Al-Dahshan, director of Civil Defense in Gaza.
The Gaza war that broke out in October 2023 has resulted in the destruction of hundreds of thousands of homes and widespread damage to infrastructure throughout the enclave. According to the Gaza-based Ministry of Health, the Israeli strikes have killed more than 48,000 Palestinians.
Gazans continue to endure the traumatic aftermath of the violence, as survivors search for loved ones buried under the rubble. With crossings with Israel remaining restricted and heavy machinery to help clear destroyed areas in short supply, the path to recovery is fraught with challenges.
Gaza Strip-Victim Body Recovery/Challenges
Dateline : Recent
Location : Gaza Strip
Duration : 2'07
Northern Gaza Strip - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of Palestinians walking through rubble
2. Various of Palestinian family living in severely damaged building, rubble
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Suhail Al-Majdalawi, Palestinian survivor:
"My family lived here, and the house was completely destroyed. 17 members of my family were killed. I retrieved 11 bodies. Six remain under the rubble. The bombing occurred in December 2023, and there are still bodies under this house. I sleep here next to the dead."
4. Various of Al-Majdalawi digging through rubble with small tool in search of bodies of his family members
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Suhail Al-Majdalawi, Palestinian survivor:
"After a long wait, I had to borrow some light equipment from the neighbors. My younger brother and I began manually breaking up pieces of concrete slabs. I don't know how to explain it, but I had to recover my mother's body in several pieces."
6. Various of destroyed buildings, rubble
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Raed Al-Dahshan, director, Civil Defense in Gaza:
"We are receiving dozens of calls from citizens asking for help to retrieve bodies from underneath the rubble. However, this requires heavy equipment and cranes, which we do not have. [90 percent of our equipment] was destroyed during the war on Gaza."
8. Various of destroyed buildings, rubble, displaced Palestinians
With public resources stretched thin, Palestinian Civil Defense teams are struggling to recover the bodies of Gazans still trapped under rubble left by Israeli attacks, leaving desperate survivors to use their bare hands and whatever tools they can find to search for their loved ones.
Suhail Al-Majdalawi, a resident of northern Gaza, lives in the ruins of his destroyed home, which also serves as the burial ground for his family members killed in an Israeli bombing. More than a year has passed since the tragedy struck, yet the bodies of six of his loved ones remain buried beneath the debris. Al-Majdalawi spends his days digging by hand and with small tools, determined to recover what remains of his lost family.
"My family lived here, and the house was completely destroyed. 17 members of my family were killed. I retrieved 11 bodies. Six remain under the ruble. The bombing occurred in December 2023, and there are still bodies under this house. I sleep here next to the dead," he said.
Al-Majdalawi waited for Civil Defense teams to assist him in retrieving the bodies of his sons, wife, and mother, but help never arrived due to the lack of heavy machinery and equipment. He recalled the heart-wrenching moment when he was finally able to recover his mother's remains.
"After a long wait, I had to borrow some light equipment from the neighbors. My younger brother and I began manually breaking up pieces of concrete slabs. I don't know how to explain it, but I had to recover my mother's body in several pieces," said Al-Majdalawi.
Since the Hamas-Israel truce took effect in January, Palestinians have been searching through flattened buildings and attempting to recover the thousands of bodies still trapped under the rubble. However, a lack of resources has severely hampered these efforts.
"We are receiving dozens of calls from citizens asking for help to retrieve bodies from underneath the rubble. However, this requires heavy equipment and cranes, which we do not have. [90 percent of our equipment] was destroyed during the war on Gaza," said Raed Al-Dahshan, director of Civil Defense in Gaza.
The Gaza war that broke out in October 2023 has resulted in the destruction of hundreds of thousands of homes and widespread damage to infrastructure throughout the enclave. According to the Gaza-based Ministry of Health, the Israeli strikes have killed more than 48,000 Palestinians.
Gazans continue to endure the traumatic aftermath of the violence, as survivors search for loved ones buried under the rubble. With crossings with Israel remaining restricted and heavy machinery to help clear destroyed areas in short supply, the path to recovery is fraught with challenges.
ID : 8419840
Published : 2025-03-14 12:18
Last Modified : 2025-03-14 19:37:36
Source : China Global Television Network (CGTN)
Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland
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