Gaza buries 112 relatives in largest single-family funeral

Gaza City witnessed a somber mass funeral for 112 members of the Abu Sharia al Hasaina family, who were killed in Israeli airstrikes. The victims, including 44 children, nine elderly individuals, and seven people with disabilities, were recovered from the rubble nearly three years after their homes were initially bombed. This marks the largest funeral for a single family in Gaza's recent history, according to the family and the Civil Defense service.

The funeral procession saw hundreds of Gazans gather as the bodies were laid out among destroyed homes before being placed in collective graves at the Al Mamdani cemetery. Most of the deceased perished in an Israeli bombing on November 22, 2023. Seven family units were completely wiped out, with no survivors.

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My relatives were moving from one house to another, then to a third, and finally they were all bombed together in one dwelling. What crime had they committed? Why were they all killed? Their only 'crime' was wanting to remain in their homes.

Yusuf Basam Abu Sharia, a family spokesperson, stated that his relatives had endured "five massacres" since October 7, 2023. He questioned the justification for the killings, emphasizing that their only "crime" was wanting to remain in their homes. Abu Sharia also highlighted the severe decomposition of the bodies, noting that in some cases, only bone fragments remained, making identification impossible.

The recovery of the bodies, which began in 2023, accelerated recently after Israel permitted the Civil Defense to use an excavator and a backhoe loader for approximately 2,000 hours. Despite these efforts, 41 other bodies from the same family are still missing. Israel's restriction on reconstruction materials and heavy machinery entering Gaza further complicates recovery efforts.

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Today it is impossible for us to identify the bodies of our martyrs. What we bury are piles of bones; we cannot know whose each one is.