GAZA CITY — Nearly nine months after an Israeli missile struck a five-story residential building in Gaza City, Yusef al-Zaharnah continues a painstaking search for the remains of his missing son, Mutaz, who perished alongside more than 40 others in the airstrike during the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Al-Zaharnah, 56, has already recovered and buried two of his sons, Munther, 31, and Abdul Karim, 21, whose bodies were accessible shortly after the attack in October 2023. Another son, Munir, 28, had previously been killed in an Israeli strike in June 2025. However, Mutaz’s body remains buried under vast rubble, inaccessible without heavy excavation equipment that has only recently become available amid ongoing restrictions and scarce resources.

In the immediate aftermath of the strike, rescue efforts were constrained by the destruction of Civil Defense equipment, fuel shortages, and continued hostilities, which halted effective recovery operations. Since the ceasefire on October 10, 2025, efforts to clear rubble and retrieve bodies have struggled due to the limited entry of heavy machinery into Gaza, with Israeli authorities citing security concerns and dual-use risks associated with construction equipment.

Mahmoud al-Basal, a spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense forces, described the ongoing crisis as one of the conflict's most hidden yet devastating humanitarian issues. Authorities estimate that thousands of bodies — between 8,500 and 14,000 according to varying sources — remain trapped beneath approximately 61.5 million tons of rubble across Gaza, where more than 80% of buildings were reported damaged or destroyed by the United Nations.

The conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages, according to Israeli authorities. Israel’s military retaliation has resulted in over 73,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led administration. Around half the fatalities are estimated to be women and children. Though Israel denies accusations, United Nations and human rights organizations have accused Israel of conducting a campaign amounting to genocide in Gaza.

The combination of damage and continued military activity has made recovering bodies extremely difficult, with rescue crews relying on a small number of privately owned excavators frequently hindered by part shortages and fuel limitations. Israeli military restrictions on heavy machinery restrict reconstruction efforts, postponing large-scale rubble clearance until Hamas is disarmed, according to official Israeli statements.

In late June, support from the International Committee of the Red Cross allowed the Civil Defense to resume limited recovery work in coordination with Israeli forces. Since then, workers have been carefully sifting through debris at sites like the al-Zaharnah family home, where Mutaz and several others were buried alive. The process has been slow and painstaking, complicated by the condition of remains and the destruction of identifying materials such as clothing.

DNA analysis to confirm identities is not a viable option within Gaza due to the absence of functioning forensic laboratories. Families like al-Zaharnah’s face the painful uncertainty of whether remains will be intact or even found at all.

Since the ceasefire, Gaza authorities report recovering 784 bodies. A new cemetery in Deir al Balah has been established to inter unidentified victims, with graves documented and numbered to facilitate future identification by relatives.

As excavations continue, Yusef al-Zaharnah remains hopeful he will finally find Mutaz’s remains to bury him alongside his brothers. For now, the search is ongoing amid one of the modern world’s most catastrophic urban ruin scenarios.