Gaza Civil Defence continue efforts to recover bodies
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Major Mahmoud Basal told MEMO, “We are currently at this building, which was targeted at the end of 2023. Two years ago, the families of the victims were trying and hoping for the moment they could bury their loved ones in a dignified manner.
The Civil Defence in Gaza City has continued the initial phase of recovering the bodies of martyrs from under the rubble, a number estimated at 10,000. Operations are currently taking place in the Al-Rimal neighbourhood in the center of Gaza City.
Major Mahmoud Basal told MEMO, “We are currently at this building, which was targeted at the end of 2023. Two years ago, the families of the victims were trying and hoping for the moment they could bury their loved ones in a dignified manner.
Ninety-six bodies lie beneath this building. We are working diligently with our limited resources, using a machine to break through the reinforced concrete and a bulldozer.
Ideally, if we had more equipment, we could extract the victims in a matter of hours, but due to the shortage, we need three days to finish this building. This applies to all the destroyed buildings in the Gaza Strip. Instead of completing the work in months, we need years to recover the bodies.
We have repeatedly appealed to numerous international organizations and bodies for the necessary equipment to be brought in, but we are always met with the Israeli veto against any attempt to improve life in Gaza.”
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