Gaza City buries 75 Palestinians whose remains were recovered from Daraj rubble

A funeral was held in Gaza City on Sunday, October 18, for 75 Palestinians whose remains were recently recovered from the rubble of destroyed homes. The burial brought families together as Civil Defence teams continue searching for people believed trapped beneath buildings damaged during the war, with officials saying a shortage of heavy equipment is slowing the work.

Hundreds attended the procession, which began outside Daraj Sports Club and ended at Sheikh Radwan Cemetery, Anadolu reported. The remains had been laid out on Saturday evening so relatives could say goodbye before the burial.

Where the remains were recovered

Anadolu said those buried included women and children. Al Jazeera correspondent Nour Khaled reported that most of the remains belonged to women and children who had been inside their homes when they were targeted. Al Jazeera said the remains included body parts and personal belongings and were wrapped in Palestinian flags before burial.

Civil Defence's wider search in Gaza

The recovery is part of a second phase of Civil Defence searches launched on July 19, according to Anadolu. Officials planned to search 147 destroyed homes across Gaza City and northern and central Gaza, where they estimated 1,072 bodies were trapped. Al-Majdalawi said shortages of equipment and heavy machinery continue to make recovery difficult.

In the first phase, launched in November 2025, teams recovered 333 bodies and remains from among 559 people believed buried beneath 54 destroyed homes and buildings, Anadolu reported. Limited resources prevented them from reaching about 226 others. Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal told Anadolu on October 7 that more than 8,000 missing Palestinians were believed to remain under rubble across Gaza; he estimated that recovery with the resources then available could take about eight years.