In Gaza City, members of the Al-Drimli family are tirelessly excavating the remains of their friend and neighbor from the debris of their former residence using basic tools like shovels, buckets, and a wheelbarrow. The scene unfolds under the scorching midday sun, with the men working silently, shielded from the heat by orange towels or sweatshirt hoods. The resounding clang of shovels hitting rubble and the hum of an electric saw echo through the air.
Despite limited resources, the family has already recovered the bodies of their loved ones and is now focused on finding their neighbor who was also caught in the building’s destruction during an airstrike in November 2023. The Gaza Health Ministry estimates that thousands of bodies, between 8,000 and 10,000, remain buried under the wreckage almost three years after the conflict between Israel and Hamas began.
Due to the scarcity of excavators in Gaza, many Palestinians, like the Al-Drimli family, are reliant on manual labor to search for the remains of those lost. The lack of available machinery is attributed to the severe shortage of functional excavators in the region, with only about a dozen barely operational units currently in service. Maintenance challenges, including a scarcity of spare parts and fuel, further hinder the operation of these vital machines.
One excavator operator, Samir Sabra, emphasized the financial strain of running the equipment, noting that the cost of fuel alone amounts to around 2,500 shekels. The high demand for excavation services far surpasses the limited capacity of the available machinery, leading to delays in recovering bodies and clearing debris from the war-torn areas.
Despite the ceasefire agreement last year, progress in securing additional heavy machinery for rubble clearance has been sluggish. The Palestinian Civil Defence, which oversees the excavation efforts, has been coordinating with international organizations to address the critical equipment shortage. However, ongoing border restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities on essential supplies like fuel, oil, and spare parts continue to impede the efficient operation of machinery in Gaza.
The arduous task of retrieving bodies buried under the rubble remains a prolonged and challenging endeavor, with the limited availability of heavy equipment prolonging the process. The international community is being urged to intervene and facilitate the entry of necessary machinery to expedite the recovery efforts in Gaza.