OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
Around 8,000 Palestinian bodies are believed to remain trapped beneath the rubble of buildings in the Gaza Strip, where less than 1 percent of debris has been cleared following Israel’s two‑year genocidal war, according to a recent Israeli news report.
Haaretz, citing an unnamed UN Development Program official, reported that the slow pace of debris removal could stretch the process to seven years.
The UN official noted that a large number of decomposed bodies remain under the rubble, while families of the victims wait for them to be recovered and buried with dignity.
According to the newspaper, these estimates are based on recent data from the Palestinian civil defense, which highlight the slow pace of rubble removal due to a lack of resources and equipment needed to accelerate the work.
The Israeli occupation army has continued to violate the ceasefire agreement signed last October, killing and injuring hundreds of people.
The truce was intended to halt a two‑year Israeli offensive that left more than 72,000 dead, 172,000 wounded, and destroyed 90 percent of civilian homes and structures.
According to a final Gaza Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment released on April 20, 2026, by the United Nations, the European Union, and the World Bank, $71.4 billion is estimated to be needed for recovery and reconstruction in Gaza over the next decade.
