‘Skull without a jaw’: Gaza survivors search for what remains of the dead

Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Palestine – With a dense heart, keen eyes and trembling hands, Abu Muhammed Ghaith meticulously searched done the heavy nylon bags utilized arsenic makeshift shrouds for those killed successful Gaza. Inside the morgue astatine Nasser Hospital successful the confederate metropolis of Khan Younis, helium was hoping to find a hint of his missing son. Instead, helium was met lone with unidentified assemblage parts and fragmented remains.

The show near him collapsed connected the ground, overwhelmed by grief and exhaustion. Yet, helium gathered his spot and continued searching for immoderate hint of 17-year-old Muhammed, shifting his absorption from bodies to idiosyncratic items: a brace of sandals patched with yellowish integrative oregon an orangish sweater, a achromatic jacket, tracksuit pants – thing that could beryllium to his son.

“Has anyone seen a patched sandal with a yellowish sole? Please, if you find it, fto maine know,” Abu Muhammed pleaded with others who, similar him, had travel to the morgue aboriginal connected Tuesday to look for their loved ones among the remains of dozens of bodies that the Palestinian Civil Defence had salvaged from beneath the rubble successful Rafah, southbound of Khan Younis connected the Egyptian border. Tears streamed down his look arsenic helium sank to his knees and leaned against the wall. “I’m nary longer looking for his assemblage – conscionable his sandal. You spot what we’ve travel to?” helium muttered, a premix of sorrow and helplessness successful his voice.

A ceasefire that came into effect connected Sunday betwixt Israel and Hamas has enabled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to instrumentality to their mostly-demolished homes successful Rafah and elsewhere successful the Strip. Relentless shelling for 15 months has driven astir 2 cardinal Palestinians successful Gaza into displacement, galore without the accidental to decently reclaim the bodies of loved ones who perished beneath bombing and rubble.

The devastated infrastructure and Israel’s targeting of ambulances and civilian defence besides hindered their quality to scope sites struck by bombs.

Muhammed has been missing since November. He had near the family’s displacement campy successful al-Mawasi for what helium said would beryllium a speedy travel to retrieve belongings from their location successful Rafah.

He ne'er returned.

Abu Muhammed is definite his lad was killed by Israeli occurrence oregon shelling portion trying to instrumentality home. “He wanted to bring backmost immoderate of our belongings and instrumentality to the camp. But helium brought backmost nothing, and helium didn’t travel backmost either,” helium told Al Jazeera.

The shrouds are laid retired connected the crushed successful Khan Younis, arsenic radical hunt for immoderate motion of their loved ones [Mohamed Solaimane/Al Jazeera]

‘A fewer bones’

In the days since the Israeli subject partially withdrew from Rafah, section rescue teams and aesculapian unit person recovered dozens of remains and assemblage parts, which were transported to the Nasser and European hospitals successful Khan Younis for identification. With the quality circulating, families with missing loved ones person flocked to these sites, hoping to find closure.

For Abu Muhammed, it was the last anticipation helium had to find his son.

Since the time helium went missing, Abu Muhammed spared nary effort successful searching for him. He contacted the Red Cross, the Ministry of Health and anyone who mightiness help. He adjacent returned to his destroyed location successful Rafah, combing done its rubble. “I’ve looked everywhere. His parent is connected the verge of losing her mind, and his sisters are hopeless for answers,” helium said.

The warfare has killed astir 47,000 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. However, the globally-renowned Lancet aesculapian diary expects the existent fig of deaths to beryllium 41 percent higher than the announced toll.

In May, the United Nations humanitarian arm, OCHA, said much than 10,000 radical were believed to beryllium buried nether the rubble successful Gaza, adding that it could instrumentality up to 3 years to retrieve those bodies, fixed past the precise primitive tools successful the territory.

After hours of sifting done the rubble of his destroyed location successful Rafah, a heartbroken Faraj Abu Mohsen recovered nary hint of his son. On his mode backmost to Khan Younis, wherever his household is displaced, the 42-year-old came crossed assemblage parts and torn covering astir 200 metres (656 ft) from the ruins of his location – items helium recognised arsenic belonging to his son.

“I had fixed up anticipation of uncovering him alive. While walking backmost to Khan Younis aft searching each day, my ft struck immoderate bones. I moved them speech and uncovered covering that belonged to my lad – his achromatic shirt, bluish pants, and sneakers. I knew it was him,” Faraj recalled, sorrowfully. He gathered the remains successful a bag, buried what helium could, and promised to instrumentality to hunt for more.

“None of america imagined that each we’d person near of him would beryllium a fewer bones,” helium said, his dependable dense with grief.

Faraj Abu Mohsen recovered immoderate of the remains of his lad and buried them, but helium is searching for the remainder of the assemblage [Mohamed Solaimane/Al Jazeera]

Challenges of identification

Inside and extracurricular the morgue astatine Nasser Hospital, a heart-wrenching country unfolded. Desperate families described carnal features oregon covering successful the anticipation of identifying their loved ones.

“My lad precocious had a bony implant,” 1 parent said.

Another begetter called out, “He was wearing bluish jeans.”

Others spoke of height, build, oregon unsocial items similar a cowboy chapeau oregon a patched sandal.

Adding to the symptom were the stark labels written connected the shrouds: “Skull without a little jaw”, “Bone fragments”, “Rib cage”, oregon “Upper and little limbs”. Instead of names and ages, aesculapian teams documented the details near of Palestinians slain by Israeli artillery to assistance families place the remains. Alongside these notes were descriptions of idiosyncratic items recovered with the remains – rings, watches, shoes, oregon damaged ID cards.

The deficiency of DNA investigating capabilities successful Gaza importantly hampers recognition efforts, Dr Ahmed Dhahir, a forensic medicine advisor with Gaza’s Health Ministry, explained, adding that Israel has agelong restricted the introduction of DNA investigating instrumentality into the Strip. “Without this technology, galore bodies stay unidentified, leaving families successful perpetual anguish,” helium said.

Dr Dhahir outlined the recognition process: remains are archetypal retrieved by rescue teams, past examined and documented. Details specified arsenic the betterment location, day and immoderate idiosyncratic items are recorded. Given the authorities these bodies person been recovered in, forensic experts trust heavy connected circumstantial evidence, specified arsenic covering oregon belongings, to usher families.

“We travel ineligible protocol by keeping the bodies for up to 48 hours to let families an accidental to place them. After that, the remains are buried by the Ministry of Endowments and Civil Defence successful a designated cemetery, with circumstantial numbers and records maintained for imaginable aboriginal recognition if investigating instrumentality becomes available,” Dr Dharir said.

He besides noted that one-third of the remains recovered from Rafah truthful acold – astir 150 cases – stay unidentified.

“The astir challenging cases are those involving partial remains: a skull, limb bones oregon fragments of a ribcage. These are cautiously numbered and catalogued, but without DNA testing, definitive recognition is often impossible,” helium added.

Families successful limbo

Current forensic resources successful Gaza are limited, with lone 3 specialists disposable successful the confederate portion and nary successful the north, Dr Dhahir explained, adding that this shortage strained an already overwhelmed system, particularly with the sheer measurement of remains recovered pursuing Israeli attacks.

For families similar Abu Muhammed’s, the inability to find oregon place loved ones prolongs their grief. “We conscionable privation to cognize his fate,” Abu Muhammed said. “Even if each that’s near of my lad is simply a bone, we privation to hide him and accidental goodbye.”

The forensic teams look mounting pressure, not conscionable from families but besides from the increasing backlog of remains. Dr Dhahir emphasised the request for planetary assistance. “We urgently request DNA investigating instrumentality and trained specialists to assistance place victims. This is not conscionable astir closure for families – it’s a humanitarian necessity,” helium said.

As efforts continue, families cling to hope, nary substance however faint. For Abu Muhammed, the hunt for his lad has go a regular ritual, 1 helium cannot wantonness contempt the affectional toll. “I’ve mislaid number of the shrouds I’ve opened. I don’t cognize if I’ll ever find him, but I’ll support searching,” helium said.

The calamity of unidentified remains underscores the broader quality outgo of the conflict. Beyond the staggering decease toll lies an arsenic achy reality: families near successful limbo, searching for answers amid the rubble of their lives.

For many, closure feels similar an unattainable imagination – 1 stolen by warfare and the deficiency of resources to mend its wounds.

This portion was published successful collaboration with Egab.