Nearly two years after an Israeli airstrike flattened a family home in southern Gaza, Civil Defense teams on Christmas Day pulled 25 bodies from beneath the rubble, including Palestinian journalist Heba Fouad Al-Abadla and her mother.
The bodies were unearthed in Khan Younis, where the Jan. 9, 2024, strike hit during one of the conflict’s most intense phases.
Al-Abadla, about 30 at the time of her death, was a presenter for Al-Azhar Radio, affiliated with Gaza’s Al-Azhar University, and a co-founder of Social Media Club-Palestine, a grassroots initiative that trained young journalists and content creators to amplify Palestinian voices online.
Her recovery piles upon the enduring humanitarian toll in Gaza, where thousands remain missing beneath wreckage.
Civil Defense crews, working with one or two functional excavators at most, rely heavily on hand tools and outdated equipment.
Despite a cease-fire in place since Oct. 10, 2025, officials say Israeli restrictions on importing heavy machinery continue to cripple large-scale debris removal.
Authorities estimate up to 10,000 bodies remain buried under Gaza’s ruins – many unrecoverable due to unexploded ordnance, unstable structures and recent winter storms.
For families, identification is often agonizing.
With forensic services scarce and DNA testing largely unavailable, relatives frequently recognize loved ones by clothing or jewelry.
In Khan Younis, entire extended families were found together, reflecting how single strikes wiped out whole households.
Al-Abadla’s death places her among what press watchdogs describe as the deadliest conflict for journalists in modern history.
The Committee to Protect Journalists counts at least 249 media workers killed since Oct. 7, 2023, while Palestinian groups and U.N. experts cite 270 or more.
Many were killed in strikes on their homes or while reporting, prompting mounting international concern over press freedom and potential violations of international humanitarian law.
Broader horror
The broader toll is staggering.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 70,925 Palestinians have been killed and over 171,165 wounded, most of them women and children.
Independent estimates suggest the true death toll – including those buried under rubble or killed indirectly – may exceed 78,000.
Since the cease-fire took effect, at least 400 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,100 injured in alleged violations, even as hundreds of bodies from earlier attacks continue to be recovered.
The fragile truce, brokered by Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye with U.S. backing under President Donald Trump, began after a two-phase agreement finalized on Oct. 9.
Phase one halted major hostilities, secured most hostage releases and expanded humanitarian aid.
Yet both sides accuse each other of breaches, with Palestinian officials citing continued Israeli strikes and restrictions, and Israel pointing to alleged Hamas provocations.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has led efforts to push talks forward.
Israeli media report he has told mediators that phase two – covering long-term governance, potential demilitarization and full Israeli withdrawal – could begin in early January 2026.
High-level discussions, including meetings in Miami, are focused on forming a unified Gazan authority to oversee reconstruction.
Still, tensions persist, with Israeli officials wary of any move not tied to Hamas neutralization.
On the ground, humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate.
Al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp was forced to cut electricity this week as fuel for backup generators ran critically low.
All scheduled surgeries were suspended, leaving only emergency and maternity services operational.
Hospital officials warned that a complete shutdown could follow, threatening patients requiring urgent and specialized care.
Israel would "never leave” Gaza
Meanwhile, Israeli political rhetoric has further clouded prospects for stability.
Defense Minister Israel Katz reiterated this week that Israel would "never leave” Gaza, vowing to establish a permanent security buffer and revive settlement activity in the territory’s north – remarks that drew reported anger from Washington and briefly prompted Katz to partially walk them back before reaffirming them again.
Katz also said Israel would exercise "de facto sovereignty” in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, echoing policies that Palestinian officials say are accelerating annexation through settlement expansion, displacement and military entrenchment.
About 750,000 Israeli settlers now live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to Palestinian authorities, amid near-daily settler attacks.
Rubble removal and body recovery remain essential for both mourning and rebuilding.
The U.N. Development Programme estimates clearing Gaza’s 50 million tons of debris could take seven years, even under ideal conditions.