GAZA CITY — The heartbreaking situations in Gaza seem to know no limits. Stories that are hard for those outside to even imagine, while those inside try to withstand intense both the physical risks and psychological pressure bearing down on the population.
People here are fighting to stay alive, searching for a morsel of bread, a sip of water and — when the worst arrives — trying with the most basic means to bury their dead with dignity.
The ongoing war has consumed everything. The Gaza Strip is under constant daily bombardment and killing and famine has reached stage five — the most severe level, according to international organizations — in one of the world’s largest humanitarian disasters of recent history. What’s happening today in Gaza goes beyond the bounds of human suffering, a complete eradication of dignity.
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An emerging new humanitarian issue in Gaza has the characteristics of pure tragedy: families are increasingly unable to retrieve the bodies of their loved ones killed by Israeli bombings, due to the targeting of rescue teams and the continuation of fierce combat.
The urgency to recover the dead found in the rubble or taken from the streets, to offer proper funerals before being devoured by cats and dogs.
Thus in the midst of this catastrophe, a new profession has emerged out of necessity: some young men now offer corpse retrieval services. Often charging large sums of money, they are stepping in to the vacuum created by the inability of medical institutions, civil defense and the International Committee of the Red Cross to reach dangerous areas.
Trade with death
These young men, scattered along the outskirts of border cities and destroyed areas, demand between 5,000 shekels (about $1,380) and 7,000 shekels (about $1,920) to risk their lives recovering bodies from areas under direct attack.
Mohammed’s body lay on the ground for a full week
The Al-Masri family was among those forced to pay one of these young men to retrieve the body of their son, Mohammed Al-Masri, who was killed in a Israeli bombing targeting northern Rafah during the city’s siege.
Worldcrunch 🗞 Extra!
Translation matters • The phrase “استنزاف كامل للكرامة” (Istinzaf kamil lel karama) translates directly as “complete eradication of dignity. Yet it goes deeper in Arabic, reflecting a cultural and emotional reality that risks dilution in translation. The word in Arab communities evokes not only loss, but a systematic stripping away of what makes one human in the eyes of their community. Such expressions carry the weight of shared trauma that can’t be fully conveyed in English. — Hagar Mohamed (read more about the Worldcrunch method here)
Mohammed’s body lay on the ground for a full week, ravaged by stray dogs and cats, without any rescue team, the Red Crescent, or even the Red Cross being able to reach it due to the danger, as the Israeli army threatened to shoot directly at anyone who attempted to approach.
After collecting the required amount, the daring young man managed to reach the body and retrieve it. But the family was devastated to discover that their son’s body had been mutilated by the stray animals, before they were able to bury him in accordance with Islamic law.
The Abu Ouda family
Another story involves the Abu Ouda family, who lost their son Ahmed in a heavy bombardment near the Morag junction north of Rafah.
The family went daily to Salah al-Din Street, near the European Gaza Hospital, begging to be allowed into the dangerous area to retrieve their son’s body, but each time they were forced to turn back, fearing death from Israeli fire.
As agreed, the young man received no payment.
Eventually, the family reached an agreement with one of the young men there: he would be paid 5,000 shekels to retrieve the body, with the amount only paid if the mission succeeded.
The young man and another companion set off on a cart pulled by an animal toward Morag, but came under heavy fire and had to flee without completing the mission. As agreed, the young man received no payment.
Deliberate targeting of paramedics
The suffering of Gazans is not limited to losing their loved ones; it also affects those trying to save them. The Israeli army does not hesitate to target ambulance and civil defense crews, claiming that these areas are dangerous and off-limits.
On March 30, 2024, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported the retrieval of 14 bodies of rescue personnel who were killed while trying to assist the wounded, as Israeli forces had targeted ambulances despite their clear markings and emblems.
A video circulated on social media showed ambulances and fire trucks being fired upon, even though their emergency lights were on.
The Israeli army later admitted responsibility for killing the humanitarian crews, claiming it was a “mistake,” in a crime that sparked widespread international condemnation. But the implicit threat the killings represented has made it ever harder for the loved ones of the dead to recover their bodies.
