Amidst the debris and remnants of buildings in Gaza City, over 100 stretchers covered in Palestinian flags were laid out on Tuesday morning, marking the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike from the beginning of the conflict.
Some of the flags were smaller, symbolizing the lives lost of children. Among the stretchers were photos and flower petals, holding the memories of those lost. The remains, now reduced to bones, teeth, and shreds of clothing, belonged to 112 individuals from the Abu Sharia and Hasayna families, part of the same clan, who perished in the Israeli airstrike on November 23, 2023.
Hundreds of people, including surviving family members, gathered in the morning to pay their respects as the deceased were laid to rest at the nearby Baptist cemetery. The families have been working alongside Gaza’s Civil Defence for years to search for their loved ones, a process hindered by the lack of heavy machinery in the area.
One mourner, Mahmoud Hasayneh, expressed the reopening of old wounds for the family during the burial ceremony. He shared his sorrow, stating, “Now we will start a new broken heart with this mission and all our family is crying.”
Last month, Youssef Abu Sharia, who lost several family members in the strike, witnessed an excavator slowly sifting through debris in an attempt to uncover any remaining human remains at the site. The entry of heavy equipment into Gaza has been restricted, impeding the search efforts for the deceased.
During the war in October 2023, Abu Sharia and some relatives relocated to a different area to reduce the risk of the entire family being wiped out in a single strike. Tragically, his parents and brother, who stayed in Gaza City, were among those killed in the airstrike.
At the funeral, Abu Sharia expressed relief that after three years of waiting, they could finally lay their loved ones to rest. However, he also mentioned the pain of reopening old wounds.
Tayseer Abu Sharia, another relative present at the funeral, recounted the challenges they faced over the years waiting for the Civil Defence’s assistance. Eventually, they resorted to digging through debris themselves using their hands.
According to Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the health ministry’s records department, an estimated 7,400 individuals remain buried under rubble in Gaza. The actual number is believed to be significantly higher, with entire families lost in single attacks, leaving no one to report the missing.
Mahmoud Basal, the Civil Defence spokesperson, called on the international community to intervene and facilitate the entry of machinery into Gaza to aid in the retrieval of bodies. Basal highlighted the unprecedented nature of the funeral, where 112 individuals were laid to rest simultaneously.
The burial ceremony commenced with a prayer at the strike site, followed by a procession to the cemetery where the remains were interred amidst chants and prayers. As the Abu Sharia and Hasayneh families bid farewell to their loved ones, they couldn’t help but think of the thousands still missing in Gaza.
Youssef Abu Sharia reflected on the absence of closure for those still unaccounted for, pondering, “We cannot find any trace of them, we don’t see their bodies, we don’t see bones. Where did they go?”