Gaza rescue officials say 8,000 bodies remain trapped under rubble

TEHRAN, Oct 21 (OPA) — Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Gaza Civil Defense, reported on Tuesday that approximately 8,000 individuals are missing and presumed dead under the debris of structures leveled during the ongoing conflict. The estimate accounts for victims trapped in areas inaccessible to rescue teams due to active fighting and a lack of heavy machinery.

Basal cautioned that the figure is a preliminary estimate and the true number of casualties could be significantly higher. The agency continues to struggle with limited resources, as the destruction of critical infrastructure has hampered efforts to locate and recover remains from the sites of collapsed residential buildings.

The ongoing military campaign has resulted in widespread destruction across the Gaza Strip, leaving thousands of buildings in ruins. International aid organizations have repeatedly highlighted the difficulty of conducting search and rescue operations in a high-intensity combat zone, noting that the lack of fuel and specialized equipment prevents the clearing of heavy concrete slabs.

While the official death toll reported by the Gaza Health Ministry continues to rise, the number of missing persons buried under rubble remains a significant challenge for humanitarian agencies. Without a sustained ceasefire or the provision of heavy engineering equipment, recovery operations remain largely stagnant, leaving families without closure and complicating efforts to document the full scale of the humanitarian crisis.