An additional 3,000 people remain missing, with their conditions and whereabouts unknown
The bodies of approximately 8,000 Palestinians killed during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza remain under the rubble, even after carrying out extensive recovery operations, Gaza’s Civil Defence said on Thursday.
According to spokesperson Mahmoud Basal, over 3,000 other people are still missing “and it is unknown whether they are alive, martyrs or prisoners”.
Basal also confirmed “the disappearance and decomposition of the bodies of hundreds of martyrs during the search and recovery operations”.
On Monday, an Al Jazeera investigation revealed that Israel used internationally prohibited thermal and thermobaric weapons in Gaza that left over 2,800 cases of Palestinian bodies “evaporated” as a result.
The recent figures come after over 700 bodies were recovered since the ceasefire came into effect in October.
Rescue operations have been hindered by continued Israeli demolitions and shelling, the presence of unexploded ordnance, as well as Israel’s restriction on the entry of equipment and machinery.
On Friday alone, Israeli forces reportedly carried out several large-scale demolition operations in Khan Younis, in the south of the enclave.
Shelling was also reported in Gaza City, with several explosive devices dropped on homes in the Zeitoun neighbourhood as well as indiscriminate firing by the Israeli army on the city’s coastline.
Areas in north and central Gaza were also attacked, local reports noted, including shelling in places outside the army’s control.
61 million tonnes of rubble
According to an assessment by the UN Environment Programme (Unep), Gaza is buried under at least 61 million tonnes of rubble, making the territory dangerous to explore.
“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,” the organisation said.
Unep determined that nearly two-thirds of the debris were created in the first five months of the war, while the destruction of buildings also accelerated in the months leading up to the current ceasefire.
Since the truce deal came into effect in October, hundreds of Israeli violations have been recorded, resulting in the killing of nearly 600 people and the wounding of over 1,500 others.
In total, Israel has killed more than 72,037 people in the past two years and destroyed nearly 90 percent of the territory’s infrastructure.
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