Gaza Recovery Efforts Reveal Scale of Destruction, Thousands Remain Missing

Recovery teams in Gaza are facing an unprecedented challenge as they begin to clear an estimated 61 million tonnes of debris – twenty times the amount generated by all conflicts in the region since 2008 – with at least 10,000 people believed to be buried beneath the rubble.

The arduous task relies heavily on manual labor, with teams using shovels, pickaxes, and bare hands due to a lack of heavy machinery. Requests for excavators and bulldozers have gone unanswered, despite similar equipment being used in the retrieval of Israeli hostages. Dr. Mohammed al-Mughir, director of humanitarian support and international cooperation at the Palestinian civil defence, stated, “We also need the same equipment to retrieve our bodies.” The sheer volume of debris is hindering efforts to locate and identify victims, a process vital for closure and psychological well-being for grieving families.

Estimates suggest between 10,000 and 14,000 people remain unaccounted for, with 472 bodies recovered during the recent ceasefire, in addition to 195 returned by Israel. Even with access to heavy equipment, officials estimate it could take up to nine months to recover the majority of the bodies. The United Nations estimates it would take 105 trucks seven years to remove all the debris, navigating a road network that is 77% damaged or destroyed – a situation further complicated by the presence of hazardous materials like unexploded ordnance and asbestos. This extensive damage underscores the long-term reconstruction needs facing the territory.

Families continue to search for loved ones, with hundreds visiting hospitals and civil defence headquarters daily. Hadeel Shahiber, who lost her entire family in an airstrike, described the pain of knowing some relatives remain unrecovered, stating, “Knowing that some of my loved ones remain under the rubble, denied a proper burial that would honour their dignity, fills me with pain and sorrow.” The UN Mine Action Service has already logged 147 incidents related to ordnance in the rubble since October 2023, resulting in dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries. Further details on the conflict timeline are available here.

Officials say the recovery operation will continue as long as possible, but progress remains severely limited by the lack of resources and ongoing security concerns.