30 bodies recovered from Palestinian family under destroyed home in Gaza

Wednesday, December 17, 2025 -In a stark reminder of the ongoing human toll in Gaza, civil defense teams have pulled 30 bodies of one Palestinian family from under the rubble of their destroyed home in the Al‑Rimal neighborhood of western Gaza City. 

The victims, identified as members of the Salem family, are believed to have perished when airstrikes flattened their house — a site now becoming one of the first to be systematically cleared in an intense recovery effort.

Rescue crews, operating with limited equipment such as a single excavator and bulldozer, are racing against time and hazardous conditions to reach the estimated 30 more family members still believed trapped beneath tonnes of debris. 

The Civil Defense, in coordination with international partners including the Red Cross, has launched this grim mission amid winter rains and structurally unstable ruins that threaten further collapse.

This latest recovery highlights the urgent need for expanded search resources and humanitarian support across Gaza, where thousands are still missing under destroyed buildings from years of conflict. 

Every body retrieved brings closure to grieving families — and underscores the scale of devastation that continues to shape life in the enclave.