Gaza’s first responders search rubble for 10,000 missing bodies

Gaza’s civil defence agency has provided an update on the besieged Strip, revealing that more than 10,000 bodies remain buried under rubble from destroyed homes and buildings, with recovery efforts ongoing on the second day of the Gaza ceasefire.

The rescuers said these casualties have not yet been included in the official death toll of Israel's war on Gaza.

Over the course of the 15-month war, 99 of its rescuers were killed in Israeli attacks, with 319 others injured, including dozens left with permanent disabilities, the agency reported. It also said 27 members have been detained by Israeli forces, and their fate remains unknown.

The civil defence teams have rescued more than 97,000 injured Palestinians since 7 October 2023. The agency also stated that around 2,840 bodies were "evaporated without a trace" by Israeli weapons that generated extreme temperatures of up to 9,000 degrees Celsius (16,000 Fahrenheit).