Mass funeral held for 75 Palestinians whose remains recovered from Gaza rubble

Hundreds of Palestinians attended a mass funeral on October 18, 2026, for 75 individuals whose remains were recovered from destroyed buildings in Gaza City's Al-Daraj neighborhood. Gaza's Civil Defence estimates that 8,000 bodies remain trapped under rubble across the territory, hampered by shortages of heavy machinery and forensic equipment amid ongoing Israeli restrictions. Over 74,400 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, including over 1,510 killed despite a October 2025 ceasefire.

Mass funeral and details of recovered bodies

• ▪Al Jazeera reported that the majority of the 75 recovered remains belonged to women and children killed inside their homes in Gaza City's Daraj neighborhood.
• ▪Hundreds of Palestinians attended a mass funeral and procession in Gaza City on October 18, 2026 for 75 victims whose remains were recovered from destroyed buildings in Al-Daraj and buried at Sheikh Radwan Cemetery.
• ▪Gaza Civil Defence spokesperson Abdullah al-Majdalawi stated that the 75 recovered remains belonged to members of approximately 20 Palestinian families, including displaced persons.

Civil Defence body recovery operations

• ▪Gaza's Civil Defence launched the second phase of its body recovery operations under rubble in July 2026.
• ▪Recovery teams in Gaza face severe obstacles retrieving bodies due to Israeli supply restrictions and a lack of heavy machinery and forensic equipment.
• ▪Gaza's Civil Defence recovered 333 bodies and the remains of 559 people during its first recovery operation in November 2025.

Israeli military attacks on October 18, 2026

• ▪On October 18, 2026, a Palestinian girl, Misk Hazem al-Dalou, died after Israeli forces opened fire at tents housing displaced people in the Maghazi refugee camp.
• ▪On October 18, 2026, Israeli military vehicles fired toward displaced Palestinians' tents in al-Mawasi in Rafah, while artillery shelled areas northeast of Khan Younis.

Casualty statistics and missing persons in Gaza

• ▪Gaza's Health Ministry reported that the overall death toll from Israeli attacks since October 2023 has exceeded 74,400 Palestinians, with over 175,449 injured.
• ▪The Palestinian Ministry of Justice reported that more than 10,000 people have been missing in Gaza since late 2023.
• ▪According to Gaza's Health Ministry, at least 1,511 Palestinians have been killed and 5,375 injured in Israeli attacks despite a ceasefire in effect since October 10, 2025.
• ▪The Palestine News Agency and Gaza Civil Defence estimate that the bodies of approximately 8,000 Palestinians remain buried under rubble across the Gaza Strip.