- After a 3-year wait, Gaza families held a funeral for their loved ones, with Lara Abu Shreia expressing her grief by saying, “I wanted to hug whatever remained of them.”
- Lara Abu Shreia faced the loss of almost her entire family, as a strike on November 22, 2023 killed 14 of her closest relatives, including her mother and siblings.
- In the weeks leading up to the funeral, Palestinian Civil Defence teams recovered 112 remains out of 153 believed missing, while over 8,000 bodies are estimated to remain beneath the rubble.
- Mahmoud Basal described the burial as unprecedented, stating that 112 martyrs were being buried in one funeral for the first time in the history of the Palestinian cause.
- Lara and her family had been displaced to southern Gaza due to a forced evacuation threat, living in constant anxiety about their safety.
- Lara's husband received a call informing them that their family’s building had been hit, leading her to fear for the lives of her loved ones trapped under the rubble.
- After returning from the south in January 2025, Lara visited the strike site, struggling to accept the loss and hoping to find even a small remnant of her family.
- Ali Abu Shreia, a relative of Lara, lost his two brothers and their families in the strike, noting that seven families were completely erased from the civil registry.
In a poignant ceremony in Gaza City, families gathered to bury 112 members of the Abu Shreia and al-Hassaina families, whose remains were recovered after nearly three years beneath rubble from an Israeli airstrike.
The mass funeral, described as unprecedented, saw thousands in attendance, marking a significant moment in the ongoing conflict.
“Today felt like the first day I lost them,” said Lara, who lost 14 relatives in the attack. “My family disappeared almost in one moment,” she recalled, expressing her anguish over the loss.6
Recovery operations have been challenging, with Gaza’s Civil Defence estimating that over 8,000 bodies remain buried under the rubble. “We need the capabilities and equipment to enter Gaza so Civil Defence teams can carry out this humanitarian mission,” said Mahmoud Basal, a spokesperson for the Civil Defence.345
The emotional toll of the funeral was evident, as families confronted their grief. “I wanted to hug the bag,” Lara shared, reflecting on her desire to hold onto whatever remained of her loved ones. “Some bodies have disappeared. Some have evaporated,” Basal noted, highlighting the difficulties in identification.
As the search continues, the community mourns the loss of entire families, with many victims described as ordinary people caught in the crossfire of a devastating conflict.
“They thought they would be safe, but the war machine did not distinguish between civilians, homes, or families,” said Ali, who lost two brothers and their families.
This mass funeral serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of the ongoing violence in Gaza.
“Palestinian Civil Defence recovered 112 remains from Sabra out of 153 believed missing, and spokesperson Mahmoud Basal called the mass funeral unprecedented in the Palestinian cause. Basal estimates more than 8,000 bodies remain beneath Gaza's rubble, and relative Ali Abu Shreia said seven families were erased from the civil registry.”
