Thousands of Gaza Dead Risk Never Being Identified Amidst Rubble

The possibility of identifying thousands of Palestinians buried under the rubble in Gaza is diminishing with each passing day, warns the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). As Palestinians manually sift through debris searching for loved ones, the chances of confirming victims' identities are fading.

"The longer the deceased lie under the rubble, the more likely it is that they are in an advanced state of decomposition – even skeletal – when they are eventually found," Pat Griffiths, an ICRC spokesperson in Jerusalem, told The Guardian. This grim reality is compounded by the slow pace of rescue operations, which are largely reliant on basic tools like rakes, hoes, and shovels.

Since a fragile ceasefire began on October 9, Palestinians have been digging through vast amounts of rubble. Gaza health officials estimate around 10,000 people are buried, with some experts suggesting the figure could be as high as 14,000. Requests sent to Israel for permission to bring heavy machinery, such as excavators, into Gaza to speed up the process have gone unanswered. Griffiths confirmed ongoing dialogue with Israeli authorities regarding the entry of equipment.

Ahmed Dahir, head of forensic medicine in Gaza, noted the surprisingly rapid decomposition of bodies due to environmental and weather conditions. Normally, it takes six months to a year for a body to reach a skeletal state, but in Gaza, some individuals missing for just two weeks have already decomposed to bone. A cemetery has been established in Deir al-Balah to bury and preserve unidentified bodies, with each grave numbered and documented in the hope of future identification and return to families.

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The longer the deceased lie under the rubble, the more likely it is that they are in an advanced state of decomposition – even skeletal – when they are eventually found.