In Gaza City, members of the Al-Drimli family are tirelessly excavating the debris of their former residence to locate their missing neighbor. Equipped with basic tools like shovels, buckets, and a wheelbarrow, they toil under the scorching sun, their heads shielded by orange towels or hoods.
The remnants of a six-story building, struck by an airstrike in November 2023, loom large as the men laboriously transfer rubble in the wheelbarrow to a growing pile nearby. Despite having already recovered the remains of their relatives, the Al-Drimli family is determined to find their neighbor who perished in the tragic incident.
Approximately 8,000 to 10,000 bodies are believed to still lie beneath the rubble in Gaza, nearly three years after the conflict between Israel and Hamas began. Due to the scarcity of excavators in Gaza, many Palestinians, including the Al-Drimli family, have resorted to manual labor to search for their loved ones.
Ayman Al-Drimli explained to freelance videographer Mohamed El Saife that the high costs and scarcity of equipment have compelled them to rely on manual labor for the grim task. With only a handful of functional excavators in Gaza, operators like Samir Sabra struggle to maintain their machines due to exorbitant costs and equipment shortages.
Despite the ceasefire agreement last October, little progress has been made in facilitating the entry of heavy machinery to assist in the recovery efforts. Mahmoud Basal, of the Palestinian Civil Defence, highlighted the urgent need for more equipment to expedite the retrieval process, emphasizing the prolonged nature of the task ahead.
Border restrictions imposed by Israel on essential supplies like fuel, oil, and spare parts have further hindered the maintenance and operation of crucial machinery in Gaza. Humanitarian aid groups and the United Nations have voiced concerns over the impact of these restrictions on the recovery operations and called for international intervention to address the pressing need for heavy equipment.
As Uday Sabra continues his painstaking excavation work in Gaza City, he remains determined to provide closure to the families of the deceased by recovering their remains buried under the rubble.