He identified his nephew’s remains from his shoe as a search is underway to recover the bodies in Gaza

A day after the start of the cease-fire in Gaza, the displaced return to Rafah. The border town is a shell of its past, with many buildings in ruins and the remains of victims still lying in the rubble.

Instead of bodies, white bags are filled with bits of clothing, bones and hair — anything families can find to help identify them. Sometimes the word “unknown” is written on the bag with a blue marker. Those souls will be buried without names or relatives to claim them.

Zaki Shaqafa was looking for his nephew, Abdul Salam Al-Muqayir, on Monday, looking for remains that were recovered from the rubble. When she took a photo of her 26-year-old nephew on her phone, she recognized the gray shoes with the navy blue triangles next to them. Shaqafa pointed to the design and confirmed that it belonged to his nephew.

“We lost him about five months ago,” said CBC freelance videographer Mohamed El Saife. “And he confirmed that this martyr is a member of our family.”

The imam of a nearby mosque, Ibrahim Solayeh, asked civilians to come to the European Hospital to help identify the bodies and bury them.

“These bodies have been in the streets and under the rubble for a long time,” he told El Saife. “(They) have reached the limit of bones and dismemberment.”

Armistice, which came into effect on Sunday The first three hostages taken by Hamas and 90 Palestinians from Israeli prisons have been released after more than 15 months of relentless Israeli bombardment in Gaza.

There are about 10,000 bodies under the rubble

Solayeh said he received 50 bodies recovered on Monday, half of which have been identified.

Many are still under the rubble in the Gaza Strip.

According to the region’s Ministry of Health, more than 47,000 Palestinians have died in the 15-month war. Due to the chaos of war, the exact number of casualties has been difficult to verify and has been subject to investigation.

A published study Lancet It suggests that official figures on January 9 may be significantly underestimated. As of June 30, 2024, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported 37,877 deaths; The study estimated the number to date at around 64,200.

The Palestinian Civil Defense said it was searching for an estimated 10,000 bodies buried under the rubble.

Haitham Al-Hams, a rescue worker with the Palestinian Civil Defense, said the agency received more than 100 calls on Monday about the discovery of decomposed bodies in the rubble.

“This is a daily task for civil defence,” al-Hams told CBC News on Monday.

The level of devastation is a “huge shock”.

Palestinian Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal said on Monday that at least 2,840 bodies had been dismembered without any trace.

Mohammad Gomaa, who was displaced in the war and lost his brother and nephew, said the level of destruction in Gaza was a “huge shock”.

“The number of (people) who are shocked by what happened in their homes is countless – it’s devastation, total devastation,” Gomaa said.

“It’s not like an earthquake or a flood, no, no. What’s happening is a war of extermination.”

Hopeful Palestinians are trying to rebuild the coastal enclave, which was destroyed by the Israeli military after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.

According to Israeli information, 1,200 people were killed in this attack, and about 250 hostages were taken to Gaza.

Debris cleanup could take 21 years: report

Reports estimate that rebuilding Gaza after the level of destruction caused by Israeli bombing will cost billions of dollars.

A damage assessment released this month by the United Nations showed that clearing the more than 50 million tons of debris left by Israel’s bombing could take 21 years and cost $1.2 billion.

According to a UN report last year, rebuilding Gaza’s destroyed homes could take at least until 2040, but could take decades.

The rubble is also believed to be contaminated with asbestos, and some refugee camps hit during the war are known to have been built with the material.

Development in Gaza has been set back 69 years as a result of the conflict, a UN Development Program official said on Sunday.

Although the ceasefire was largely in effect on Monday, medics said eight people had been shot by Israeli fire in Rafah, south of Gaza.

According to the ceasefire agreement, the Israeli military fired “warning shots against suspects approaching deployed troops.”