Palestinians struggle to dig loved ones out of rubble

The Gaza ministry of health is unable to update its death toll, due to so many bodies still being pulled from under the rubber, and the unknown number of the bodies missing under the ruins, Washington post reported.

The efforts have been redoubled during the humanitarian pause to dig out the bodies from under the ruins, the statement added.

Shaima Miqdad, 37, lost her aunt and all 15 members of her aunt’s family hours ahead of the temporary truce started on Friday, as she informed the Washington Post by phone.

She added that only a 30-year-old doctor survived the strike at the family home in Shejaiya, Gaza. The doctor clawed his way out of the rubble, suffering several fractures and losing the strength to speak.

Days passed with no word from Miqdad about the family due to communication failures throughout the enclave.  She stated, “we were unaware that they had been killed.”

She moved from Shejaiya to Nuseirat in central Gaza earlier during the attacks on the stripe.

On Saturday, after the skies over Gaza went quiet, “relatives and neighbours were able to recover the bodies of my aunt and a number of her children,” Miqdad said. On the following day, they found the bodies of a few other children.

“We hope that the promises that [the humanitarian pause] can be extended will be true, at least so we can bury our martyrs and extract the rest of them,” Miqdad said.