Key facts
- 112 victims, including 40 children, were buried after their remains were recovered from a November 2023 Israeli air strike.
- The strike flattened a residential block in Gaza City's Sabra neighborhood, killing over 300 people.
- Recovery efforts resumed on July 14 and concluded by August 1, with 157 bodies still missing.
- The recovery and burial brought some relief but also reopened grief for the families.
- The Hamas-led militant attack on Oct. 7, 2023, killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage.
Palestinians in Gaza held a mass funeral on Tuesday for 112 members of the Abu Shari'a and al-Hasayna clan, whose remains were recovered from beneath rubble following Israeli air strikes in November 2023. The strike, which flattened an entire residential block in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood, killed over 300 people. Recovery efforts were significantly delayed due to a lack of heavy equipment and Israeli restrictions on entry into Gaza. Civil Defense crews resumed the difficult operation on July 14, eventually recovering the remains of 112 individuals, including 40 children, by August 1. However, 157 bodies remain missing. Relatives expressed a mix of relief and renewed grief at being able to finally bury their loved ones, with some describing the situation as if their bodies had evaporated. The recovery of bodies from the war's early months is only now possible due to a fragile ceasefire that allows such efforts to proceed in parts of Gaza. The Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, prompting Israel's retaliatory offensive which has killed over 73,377 Palestinians. The Hamas-led Health Ministry in Gaza maintains detailed casualty records, with women and children making up most of the dead. Israel states its strikes target militants. Gaza remains largely devastated, with most of its 2 million Palestinians displaced.