Civil defense teams in the Gaza Strip are continuing their search and recovery operations under the rubble of destroyed homes and buildings, in a difficult mission to retrieve the bodies and remains of victims whose fate remains hidden beneath the debris, years after they were targeted.
Mohammed Abu Dan, the Civil Defense official in charge of recovery operations, said on Monday that civil defense teams were able to recover the remains of nine martyrs from the Salmi family, nearly three years after their home in the Zeitoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City, was targeted.
Abu Dan explained that the Salmi family home, located next to the Badr Mosque in the Zeitoun neighborhood, was targeted on November 20, 2023, and that 17 people were inside at the time.
He added that residents were able to recover nine bodies immediately after the attack, while the remains of ten others remained under the rubble.
He noted that civil defense teams have so far recovered the bodies of seven missing martyrs, including four children and two elderly women, while the remains of three martyrs are still trapped under the rubble. Civil defense teams face significant difficulties during rescue operations, primarily the severe shortage of machinery and heavy equipment, due to the ban on bringing the necessary specialized equipment into the sector.
