The General Directorate of Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip announced on Wednesday that rescue teams have recovered the bodies of 101 martyrs from beneath the rubble of residential buildings. The structures were destroyed by Israeli military aircraft strikes that hit directly above the residents, resulting in total collapse. The operation took place in the “Taj Square” area located within the Yarmouk neighborhood in central Gaza City.
In a statement received by Al-Risala Net, the Civil Defense clarified that the recovery efforts spanned 17 days of continuous work. These operations were conducted in close coordination with the Egyptian Committee. Rescue teams faced extremely complex conditions due to the massive scale of destruction affecting both residential buildings and critical infrastructure in the region. Significant difficulties were encountered in accessing victims trapped under heavy debris, hampering the speed and efficiency of the search process.
The incident at Taj Square traces back to October 25, 2023, when Israeli aircraft launched intense airstrikes on the “Taj 3” building and the surrounding residential square along Yarmouk Street. At the time, aircraft fired approximately 20 missiles at the tower, causing its complete demolition along with adjacent houses while occupants were still inside. The bombardment also extended to the neighboring street, a local bakery, and various civilian properties. The attack resulted in the martyrdom of more than 100 Palestinians and injured others.
Rescue teams continue to face severe challenges during search and recovery missions across the strip. These obstacles include widespread devastation, a shortage of heavy machinery, insufficient fuel supplies, and a lack of necessary equipment required to manage large volumes of rubble. Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Civil Defense, previously confirmed that over 8,000 bodies remain buried under the ruins of destroyed buildings in Gaza. He attributed this backlog to the insufficiency of resources needed for comprehensive search and extraction operations.
Additionally, the Government Media Office reported that the number of missing persons has exceeded 9,500 since the beginning of the war. Current recovery efforts are part of a broader project aimed at locating missing individuals under collapsed structures. The first phase of this initiative, which concluded in late November, resulted in the recovery of 333 bodies out of an estimated 559 missing persons. The second phase is currently underway, focusing on searching under the ruins of 147 destroyed buildings, with estimates suggesting approximately 1,072 bodies may be trapped beneath the debris.
