GAZA CITY, Palestine: Around 8,000 Palestinian bodies still remain trapped beneath rubble across the Gaza Strip, where less than one percent of debris has been cleared following two years of war, a United Nations official said.
Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, quoting an unnamed official from the United Nations Development Programme, reported that the slow pace of debris removal could mean clearance efforts take up to seven years.
Thousands of bodies remain buried under collapsed buildings across the Palestinian enclave, the UN official said, as families continue to wait to recover and bury relatives.
The assessment is based on data from Palestinian civil defence authorities, which have warned that severe shortages of equipment and capacity are hampering recovery operations.
In a separate assessment, the United Nations Environment Programme estimated that Gaza is covered by at least 61 million tonnes of rubble.
About 15 percent of this debris may be contaminated with hazardous materials such as asbestos, industrial waste or heavy metals, if not properly managed, the agency said.
The agency added that nearly two-thirds of the debris was generated during the first five months of the war, with destruction accelerating in the months leading up to the ceasefire.
In February 2026, Gaza’s Civil Defence said that around 8,000 bodies remained under the rubble despite extensive recovery efforts.
Spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said more than 3,000 people were still missing, with their fate unknown.
Basal also reported the decomposition and disappearance of hundreds of bodies during search operations.
Gaza ceasefire violations
A ceasefire that came into effect on October 10, 2025, was intended to end the war, which Gaza health authorities say has killed more than 72,000 people and wounded over 172,000, while destroying around 90 percent of civilian infrastructure.
However, Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israel has continued to violate the truce, with 828 Palestinians killed and 2,342 injured since the agreement took effect.
Meanwhile, Palestinian sources and medics reported that Israeli forces killed three Palestinians in southern Gaza on Saturday.
A medical source told Anadolu Agency that 26-year-old Mohammed al-Sayed Suleiman Sbeitan died after an Israeli drone strike near the al-Qastal Towers area east of Deir al-Balah.
In another attack, Ammar Talal Abu Shab was killed by Israeli gunfire in the eastern al-Satr area, north of Khan Younis, according to a medical source.
Witnesses said both incidents occurred outside areas designated for Israeli military deployment under the ceasefire agreement.
Local reports also described continued shelling and demolition operations in several parts of Gaza, including Khan Younis and Gaza City, as well as attacks on residential areas in the Zeitoun neighbourhood.
Israel weighs resuming war
Meanwhile, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation reported that Israel’s security cabinet was due to meet on Sunday to consider whether to resume the war.
The broadcaster cited an unnamed Israeli official as saying the move followed conclusions that Hamas was not adhering to disarmament terms under the ceasefire agreement.
Earlier reporting by the same broadcaster indicated that Hamas had submitted a response to a mediator-backed proposal, proposing amendments and calling for Israel to fully implement its commitments within an agreed timeline.
The Palestinian group had shown initial willingness to discuss the issue of weapons, but linked this to demands including Palestinian political rights, reconstruction and a full Israeli withdrawal.
Hamas has reiterated calls for a permanent ceasefire, international involvement in Gaza’s governance and reconstruction, and security arrangements tied to political guarantees.
Israel had previously set a 60-day deadline from late February for Hamas to hand over its weapons, a demand the group has rejected unless Israel first fulfils its obligations under the agreement.
Israeli Settlements Minister Orit Strook has called for a return to military operations within weeks if Hamas does not disarm.
