Gaza Civil Defence: 8,000 Bodies Still Under the Rubble in Gaza

Gaza’s post-ceasefire recovery effort is constrained by scale - thousands of unrecovered bodies, millions of tonnes of debris and continued hostilities are limiting search capacity despite formal truce arrangements.

According to Gaza’s Civil Defence, approximately 8,000 bodies remain beneath collapsed structures following years of war. Spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said more than 3,000 additional people remain missing, with it “unknown whether they are alive, martyrs or prisoners.”

He also confirmed “the disappearance and decomposition of the bodies of hundreds of martyrs during the search and recovery operations.”

Since the ceasefire came into effect in October, over 700 bodies have been recovered. Yet officials state that recovery teams face unexploded ordnance, ongoing demolitions and shelling, and restrictions on the entry of heavy equipment and machinery.

On Friday alone, Israeli forces reportedly carried out large-scale demolition operations in Khan Younis. Shelling was also reported in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood and along the coastline.

Rubble Volume as Constraint

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates at least 61 million tonnes of rubble now cover Gaza.

About 15 percent of this debris could be at relatively high risk of contamination with asbestos, industrial waste or heavy metals if waste streams are not effectively segregated early on.

United Nations Environment Programme

Nearly two-thirds of the debris was generated during the first five months of the war, with destruction accelerating in the months preceding the October truce.

The scale presents operational hazards. Dense urban collapse zones limit manual recovery. Heavy machinery shortages further slow clearance.

UNEP’s contamination warning adds a public health dimension to what is primarily a search and identification mission.

"Evaporated" Remains Allegation

On February 10, an Al Jazeera investigation alleged that Israel used U.S.-supplied heavy thermobaric munitions to “vaporize” thousands of Palestinians, leaving no recoverable remains.

The investigation cited more than 2,800 cases of bodies described as “evaporated.” The claims were presented as part of a broader examination of thermal and thermobaric weapons use.

The allegation adds to existing casualty uncertainty. Civil Defence data indicates more than 72,037 people have been killed over two years of conflict, with nearly 90 percent of Gaza’s infrastructure destroyed.

Ceasefire Under Strain

Since October, hundreds of Israeli violations of the truce have been recorded, resulting in nearly 600 additional deaths and more than 1,500 wounded, according to local authorities. Continued shelling outside areas under army control in north and central Gaza has been noted in local reports.

Separate aerial footage broadcast by TRT in August 2025 showed neighborhoods reduced to rubble following bombardment, visually reinforcing the debris scale cited by UNEP.

The cumulative figures frame a recovery environment defined less by manpower than by access, safety and material capacity, where aid can move, whether workers can operate without threat, and if supplies actually reach those in need now matter more than the number of responders on paper.

Until corridors, security guarantees and logistics stabilize, search and rescue efforts alone will not seemingly translate into faster recovery.