DayofPal– As the death toll in Gaza surpasses 57,000 since October 7, 2023, the territory faces an unprecedented funeral crisis, leaving thousands of bodies without graves or dignity in death.
With cemeteries full and over 40 destroyed by the Israeli army, families are forced to bury their loved ones in mass graves, re-open old tombs, or lay the dead in makeshift plots built from rubble, wood, and zinc sheets.
Hospitals have run out of mortuary space, leading to bodies piling up in corridors and patient rooms. Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, announced it had run out of burial plots, causing a new wave of psychological torment for those who lost their loved ones.
According to Dr. Ismail Thawabteh, spokesperson for Gaza’s Government Media Office, the Strip typically sees 6,000 deaths per year, a figure now nearly ten times higher due to continuous Israeli bombardment.
Survivors recount harrowing scenes, where people buried three-deep in shared graves, people separated across multiple burial sites, and corpses lying exposed as families search in vain for burial space.
In many cases, names are written on cardboard, often lost to the elements. “We don’t have shrouds or gravestones,” said gravedigger Ibrahim Shaheen. “Sometimes we don’t even know their names.”
“In October 2023, when my sister and her family were murdered. We couldn’t find an empty grave. We were forced to open my grandfather’s tomb, passed away in 2001, and we placed her body next to his,” Shaheen added.
Khaled Abdul Aziz from Al-Bureij said that they visited every cemetery in Al-Nuseirat, Al-Zawayda, Al-Bureij to find a grave for her daughter, yet all of them were either full or inaccessible.
He continued, “I sat with my sister’s body wrapped in a blanket under the blazing sun for an hour in Deir Al-Balah cemetery, until a sheikh told me there was a mass grave for seven girls from the Ismail family. My sister would become the eighth. I agreed immediately.”
Enas Qishta said that before her brother Suliman was killed, his foot was amputated and buried in one grav already used. Later, his thigh was cut and buried elsewhere with unknown dead people. “After he succumbed to injuries, the rest of his body was buried in a third cemetery,” she concluded.
As the crisis deepened and burial spaces vanished, the authorities were forced to adopt emergency measures, most notably, the expansion of collective graves as a last resort to preserve what remains of the martyrs’ dignity.
According to the government’s emergency plan, new burial sites have been designated near hospitals and in areas adjacent to shelters, aiming to accelerate burials and reduce the hardship of transporting bodies, especially amid ongoing bombardment and movement restrictions.
In response to the crisis, Gaza’s authorities have launched emergency initiatives, including waqf cemeteries and the “Ikram” project to provide free burials.
Despite efforts to document every body, many are buried unidentified, without rites or records, a situation that goes in contrast with articles of international humanitarian law.
According to the customary IHL: Parties to a conflict must search for and recover the dead without delay (Rule 112). They must also ensure respectful burial in accordance with religious traditions, avoiding mass graves except in cases of absolute necessity.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reiterates this in Rule 113: Mutilation or desecration of the dead is strictly prohibited. The dead must always be treated with dignity and respect.
Yet on the ground, families are often left with no choice but to preserve the bodies of their loved ones at home for days, or even weeks, due to the absence of burial spaces.
Many women are denied even the basic right to bid farewell to their children or spouses, compounding their grief and trauma. In some instances, victims are buried hastily in mass graves, without identification, religious rites, or documentation, under siege and bombardment.
The collapse of Gaza’s funerary system marks a profound humanitarian tragedy. Experts warn that the inability to bury the dead with dignity is a breach of both religious custom and legal obligation, potentially amounting to war crimes under international law.
While global attention remains fixed on airstrikes and humanitarian aid, Gaza’s silent crisis, the denial of a final resting place, continues to haunt its people and challenge the conscience of the world.
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