Remains of 55 recovered from Gaza rubble nearly three years after strike

The remains of 55 Palestinians have been recovered from the ruins of a residential building in Gaza City that was destroyed in an Israeli air strike nearly three years ago, according to Gaza's civil defence authorities.

The recovery operation at the site was completed on Saturday, marking the latest effort by emergency teams to locate people who remain buried beneath Gaza's extensive war damage.

Rescue operations have been severely hampered by shortages of heavy machinery and other equipment required to move large quantities of collapsed concrete and debris.

The remains were discovered beneath the rubble of the Malka family home in Gaza City's Zeitoun neighbourhood, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

Colonel Muhammad Abu Dan, who supervised the operation, said teams had spent the previous 72 hours searching for more than 60 people believed to have been killed from the Malka family.

The building was struck on November 19, 2023, after family members had sought shelter there following displacement from their homes, according to Wafa.

The scale of destruction across Gaza has made the recovery of those killed a prolonged and difficult process. The United Nations Satellite Centre estimates that 82 percent of buildings across the territory have been either damaged or destroyed.

Gaza's Ministry of Health, UN agencies and humanitarian organisations estimate that between 10,000 and 14,000 people could still be missing beneath the rubble across the territory.

Abu Dan has appealed to international humanitarian organisations to provide additional machinery and equipment, saying greater resources would allow civil defence teams to recover more people trapped beneath destroyed buildings.

With most of the remains from the Malka family home now recovered, a joint funeral procession is expected to be held next weekend.

US envoy denies plan for forced displacement

The recovery operation comes amid renewed debate over the future of Gaza and proposals concerning the territory's population.

United States Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said there was no plan to forcibly remove Palestinians from Gaza, following comments by two Israeli ministers advocating proposals that could lead to the relocation of residents.

Speaking to reporters in Turmus Ayya in the occupied West Bank, Huckabee said neither Israel nor the United States supported the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.

His comments followed remarks earlier in the week by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, who said he saw no long-term solution for Gaza without what he described as migration.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also proposed a seven-year plan involving what he called the "voluntary emigration" of Gaza's population.

Meanwhile, Gaza's Ministry of Health reported that hospitals received 17 bodies and 27 injured people during the previous 48 hours.

The ministry said five of the deaths were newly recorded, while another person died from earlier injuries. Eleven additional bodies were recovered from beneath the rubble.

It said other victims remained trapped under collapsed buildings or were lying in the streets, with ambulance and civil defence crews continuing to face difficulties reaching them.

At least three Palestinians were also reported injured in Israeli attacks on Saturday. Two were wounded in an attack on a beach in the al-Khalidi area north of Gaza City, while another person was injured in a targeted strike in the al-Sudaniyya area northwest of the city.

Since the ceasefire began last October, Gaza's Health Ministry says at least 1,344 Palestinians have been killed and 4,464 injured. It also reports that at least 815 bodies have been recovered from beneath the rubble during that period.

According to the ministry's latest figures, the overall Palestinian death toll in Gaza since October 2023 has reached 73,470, with at least 174,540 people reported injured.