8,000 bodies still under Gaza rubble as less than 1% cleared: Report

Around 8,000 Palestinian bodies are believed to be trapped under the rubble in the Gaza Strip, where less than 1% of debris has been cleared after Israel’s two-year genocidal war on the enclave, according to an Israeli media report, citing a UN official.

The Haaretz newspaper, citing an unnamed official from the UN Development Programme, said the slow pace of debris removal means the process could take up to seven years.

Thousands of bodies are still buried beneath collapsed buildings across the enclave, the official added, as families continue to wait to recover and bury relatives.

The assessment is based on data from Palestinian civil defense authorities, which have warned of severe shortages in equipment and capacity, slowing efforts to clear vast areas of destruction.

Israel has continued to commit daily violations of a ceasefire deal that was signed last October, killing 828 Palestinians and injuring 2,342, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The ceasefire was meant to end a two-year Israeli onslaught on Gaza, which left more than 72,000 dead and 172,000 wounded, and destroyed 90% of civilian infrastructure.

The UN estimates reconstruction costs at around $70 billion.

*Writing by Tarek Chouiref