In Gaza City, 112 human remains belonging to the same extended family were laid out in the morning sun, each draped in a Palestinian flag. This group, which included dozens of women and children from the Hassayna and Abu Sharia clan, perished nearly three years ago during an Israeli military strike on their residential compound. The attack occurred on Nov. 23, 2023, during the second month of the war, according to reports from Gaza's Civil Defense, an organization operating under the Hamas-run Interior Ministry.
Recovery teams gained access to the site in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City in mid-July. Over the final two weeks of that month, they worked to exhume and collect the decomposed remains. Gaza authorities have identified this event as the largest mass funeral held in the strip since Oct. 7, 2023, the date when Hamas-led militants initiated an attack on southern Israel, triggering a conflict that has resulted in over 70,000 Palestinian deaths according to Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry.
During the service, mourners gathered in an earthen square surrounded by partially demolished buildings. One individual showered flower petals over the covered bodies while women and children looked on. A banner displaying the faces of dozens of children served as a backdrop for a speech by Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal. "O nation, why are children getting killed in Gaza? Why are women getting killed in Gaza? Why are massacres committed against innocents in Gaza?" Basal asked. The podium from which he spoke featured the words "Stop the genocide in Gaza" written in both Arabic and English.
In response to inquiries regarding the incident, the Israeli military stated that it does not deliberately target civilian populations and takes all feasible measures to mitigate harm. The military further asserted that Hamas systematically operates from within and beneath densely populated areas, utilizing the civilian population as shields for its military activities. Israeli officials have also vehemently disputed accusations of genocide, maintaining that it was Hamas that attempted genocide during its Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish state.
