Gaza Civil Defense Reburies 120 Members of One Family Killed in Israeli Massacre

Gaza (QNN)- Palestinian Civil Defense teams on Friday exhumed and reburied the remains of more than 120 members of the Shuheiber family, who were killed during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. The remains were moved from a temporary mass grave to the Sheikh Shaaban Cemetery in eastern Gaza City.

Early Friday morning, Civil Defense crews, assisted by Shuheiber relatives, began retrieving the remains from a farmland south of Gaza City. The victims had been buried there months ago after Israeli strikes made it impossible to reach official cemeteries.

Dozens of residents gathered to perform funeral prayers before the reburial at Sheikh Shaaban Cemetery in Al-Saha area.

On November 17, 2023, Israeli warplanes bombed a home in Al-Sabra neighborhood that was sheltering displaced members of the Shuheiber family. The attack killed more than 95 people, while others remained trapped under the rubble, according to survivor Nahid Shuheiber.

He said the family had no choice but to bury their loved ones temporarily in a nearby agricultural plot because it was too dangerous to reach regular cemeteries.

Raed Al-Dahshan, Director General of Gaza’s Civil Defense, said: “With the help of forensic experts, the Ministry of Health, and volunteers, we transferred more than 120 martyrs from the temporary grave to their final resting place.”

During nearly two years of Israel’s genocidal war, dozens of temporary cemeteries have appeared across Gaza. Families have buried victims in hospital courtyards, schoolyards, and empty lots as constant bombings and blocked roads prevented proper burials.

Human rights reports say thousands of Palestinians were buried in makeshift graves near homes and hospitals when rescue teams could not reach the dead.

Civil Defense teams continue to recover bodies from beneath rubble under extreme danger and shortages of equipment. The agency says Israeli restrictions prevent the entry of heavy machinery and safety gear, forcing workers to dig by hand.

Since the genocide began in October 2023, Israel has killed more than 68,280 Palestinians, wounded 170,375, and left 9,500 missing.

The reburial of the Shuheiber family’s remains is a stark symbol of Gaza’s ongoing tragedy, and of a people’s struggle to give their loved ones a dignified farewell amid destruction.