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The procession began outside Imam Al-Shafi’i Mosque in Al-Zeitoun with mourners carrying bodies wrapped in Palestinian flags toward the Martyrs Cemetery near Al-Ahli Arab Hospital where collective graves had been prepared. Hundreds of relatives and neighborhood residents took part in bidding farewell to the deceased before the remains were interred. Local crews had recovered the bodies in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross using excavators and other heavy equipment to clear rubble from multiple destroyed homes.
Palestinian sources told the Qatar News Agency that the vast majority of the dead were children and women from the Malka Irheim Al-Balaawi and Salmi families. Al Jazeera reported that the extended Malaka family alone lost 55 members in strikes that hit residential buildings in the area around November 2023 while other victims belonged to the Rahim Balawi Qanbour and related families. The remains had lain under debris for more than two years until recovery teams could reach them as part of a broader project launched in July 2026.
Gaza Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal said more than 100 bodies including about 70 children had been retrieved after years beneath the rubble allowing families to hold the funeral and gain closure. Basal told reporters that search teams continue operations across the territory despite limited resources and restrictions on equipment entry. According to the spokesman approximately 8000 people are still believed missing under rubble in different parts of Gaza.
The Qatar News Agency noted that the burial took place at the Martyrs Cemetery southeast of Gaza City following prayers at the site near the ruined homes. Similar mass funerals have occurred in recent weeks including one in early August for 112 victims recovered from the Sabra neighborhood Al Jazeera reported. That earlier ceremony involved members of the Abu Sharia and al-Hassanat families killed in a single strike in 2023.
Gaza’s Health Ministry places the overall Palestinian death toll from the conflict at least 73651 since October 2023 with more than 174000 others injured according to figures cited by Al Jazeera. A UN human rights official told the network that the recovery scenes served as a reminder of the scale of loss in the territory over the past three years. Civil Defence teams have recovered hundreds of additional remains in separate operations this year as the second phase of the retrieval project continues.
