Remains of 13 from Al-Dalloul family recovered in Gaza after more than three years

Palestinian civil defense teams have recovered the remains of 13 people from beneath the rubble of the Al-Dalloul family home in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, more than three years after it was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike that left several dead and missing. Search operations are ongoing to locate around 22 people still unaccounted for in the area.

In a statement, the Palestinian Civil Defense said the recovery took place near Salah al-Din Street in Deir al-Balah, in cooperation with forensic teams. The remains were transferred to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital for identification before being handed over to relatives for burial.

The incident dates back to October 17, when the Al-Dalloul family home was struck while about 30 people, mostly women and children, were inside. According to the civil defense, only one survivor and one deceased were recovered immediately after the strike, with several victims remaining trapped under the rubble for years.

Search efforts are being coordinated with the International Committee of the Red Cross and cover the area around Salah al-Din Street and Bihouli land, near the Kisufim area, in an attempt to find the remaining missing persons.

The civil defense noted that around 22 people are still missing under the rubble in the area, but it is unclear whether all are linked to the Al-Dalloul family home or if some are from neighboring sites.

The recovery operation is part of ongoing efforts to locate missing persons beneath destroyed buildings in Gaza, more than three years after the war began in October 2020, with many families still lacking definitive information about the fate of their loved ones.

A report published by Swissinfo last October highlighted the plight of Palestinian families still searching for relatives years after their homes were destroyed, noting efforts to document burial sites and preserve potential evidence related to the strikes.

Identifying the victims and recovering their remains is a crucial step for families awaiting news of the missing and seeking to bury them, as illustrated by the Al-Dalloul family’s ordeal more than three years after their home was bombed and as searches for the missing continue.