Human remains under the Gaza rubble: specialised equipment for recovery blocked
Boys walk past the rubble of destroyed buildings in the Jabalia camp for Palestinian refugees in the northern Gaza Strip on 8 February 2026
Anam Alam reports in The New Arab on 10 July 2026:
More than two-and-a-half years after he was killed, the remains of a Gazan doctor were finally recovered from the rubble of his levelled home on Thursday, as thousands of missing Palestinians remain unaccounted for amid Israel’s continued bombardment.
Dr Maysara Azmi Al-Rais, who was also a graduate from King’s College London in the UK, was put to rest alongside his brothers after being killed in November 2023 by an Israeli airstrike that targeted his building.
The Gaza Civil Defence, responsible for recovering the bodies, were unable to recover Dr Al-Rais’ body due to a lack of equipment, resulting in his remains being kept under the rubble, a situation that has plagued the enclave since the outbreak of the Gaza genocide.
“We face significant challenges in recovering bodies trapped under the rubble,” Mahmoud Ashour, spokesperson for the Criminal Evidence Department in the Gaza Strip, told The New Arab.
As Israel continues to enforce a blockade on Gaza, the lack of heavy machinery and specialised equipment vital for safely removing debris while preserving the remains is a major difficulty, with Ashour noting the remains are often fragile due to prolonged exposure to time, weather, and environmental conditions.