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SvennoJ on 07 February 2025
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Palestinians search ruins for bodies – More than 14,000 dead beneath rubble of Gaza

Health authorities in Gaza have updated their death toll from Israel’s war to 61,709 people, adding thousands of bodies that have been recovered since the ceasefire deal.

They caution that about 14,000 bodies are still believed to be buried under the rubble or in areas inaccessible to rescuers.

In the ruins of northern Gaza, Palestinians walk amid the rubble as they search for indications of missing people. Every so often, rescue crews, armed only with shovels, find another body in need of recovery.

Relatives search for loved ones at Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital

What we see around us here at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City is just devastation. This used to be the largest public health facility in the Gaza Strip but right now it is completely out of service.

Al-Shifa was stormed twice, the first time in December 2023, when the Israeli military set fire to the compound and used artillery shells while people were still trapped inside it. Many of them were killed, especially those who needed immediate medical care.

The second time was in March 2024, when the Israeli military destroyed the specialised surgery building, which had more than 600 beds. The courtyard of the hospital turned into a war zone and some people were stripped down and executed right here.

As the ceasefire started, people came back and we’ve seen some searching under the piles of rubble and sand for their loved ones. Some of the bodies were recovered but they have decomposed and it’s hard to identify them due to the lack of tools.

It was quite emotional to see people collapsing in grief, as they were hoping they would be able to find the remains of their relatives.


Al-Shifa Hospital was completely destroyed in Israel’s war on Gaza


Palestinian man shows tents amid rubble as Palestinians return to northern Gaza

The ceasefire has allowed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to their homes over the past two weeks, with many now confronted with the scale of the destruction across Gaza for the first time.

Some have used social media to document the conditions they now find themselves forced to live in. In one such video, Gaza resident Abd Sabbah describes how displaced Palestinians have been forced to set up their tents amid bombed out buildings, battered by harsh winds and rain.

Sabbah’s footage shows the scale of the destruction across northern Gaza, as life slowly returns to the area.