Israeli authorities have restricted the entry of new ambulances, rescue vehicles, emergency equipment, fuel, and spare parts into the Gaza Strip since a ceasefire in October 2025, severely impeding humanitarian operations to recover an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 bodies from under the rubble. These restrictions persist as 75 Palestinians, whose remains were recently recovered from Gaza City's Daraj neighborhood, were buried Sunday.

The continued denial of critical supplies means thousands of families cannot find closure for their missing loved ones, and massive reconstruction efforts are stalled by over 61 million tonnes of uncleared debris.

What the records show

By June 16, 2026, UNOSAT assessed that 82 percent of Gaza's structures were damaged, with 134,422 destroyed, contributing to over 61 million tonnes of rubble. Between November 2025 and September 2026, Civil Defense teams recovered more than 630 bodies. However, an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 Palestinians remain missing under the debris. Recovery personnel frequently resort to digging by hand due to equipment shortages, and 142 Civil Defense staff have been killed, with 352 severely injured.

The timeline

What changed and for whom

What the subject has said publicly

What we could not confirm