Gaza Civil Defense Begins Excavation for 150 Bodies Under Rubble

The Palestinian Civil Defense has begun excavating the ruins of the Engineers Tower in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, searching for the remains of approximately 150 Palestinians. These individuals are believed to have been killed when an Israeli airstrike destroyed the building on October 31, 2023, trapping residents and displaced people inside. The operation is part of a broader effort to recover bodies of hundreds of martyrs and missing persons from buildings destroyed during the war that began on October 8, 2023.

The recovery efforts are hampered by limited resources, with only one excavator being used to clear the debris of the six-story building, which contained 24 apartments. This operation is the second phase of the "Martyrs' Remains Recovery" project, launched by the Civil Defense on July 19, aiming to retrieve bodies from under the rubble of Israeli-destroyed buildings.

Mahmoud Bsal, spokesperson for the Civil Defense, stated that the Israeli bombing of the tower occurred "without prior notice or warning." He noted that over 350 people were in the building at the time. Civil Defense teams have already recovered around 160 bodies from the site since the war began. Bsal indicated that "a number of victims are still under the rubble of this building" and that the search is proceeding with "very modest capabilities."

Abdulmajeed Ramadan Nassar, head of the Engineers Tower's administrative board, lost his daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren in the bombing. He estimated that the remains of about 150 martyrs are still under the rubble, expressing hope for their dignified recovery and burial. Nassar described the targeting of the tower as "one of thousands of crimes committed by the occupation in the Gaza Strip."

Bsal also reported that the bodies of over 8,000 martyrs remain buried under destroyed buildings across Gaza due to access difficulties and a severe shortage of heavy equipment. He appealed to the international community and human rights organizations to provide the necessary equipment for the Civil Defense. Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the government media office in Gaza, called the situation a "unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe" requiring urgent international intervention, citing the lack of heavy machinery.

The second phase of the "Martyrs' Remains Recovery" project involves 800 working hours and targets 147 destroyed homes in Gaza, North, and Middle governorates, believed to hold the bodies of 1,072 martyrs. The first phase, from late November 2025, involved 500 working hours and recovered 333 bodies from 54 locations. Palestinian authorities claim Israel reneged on an agreement to allow heavy equipment into Gaza following a ceasefire in October 2025, which followed a war that resulted in over 73,000 Palestinian deaths and extensive infrastructure damage.