Gaza Civil Defense warns of humanitarian catastrophe... Thousands of bodies under rubble and rescue equipment banned

Gaza's Civil Defense warned of an impending humanitarian catastrophe as winter approaches, confirming the presence of between 8,000 and 10,000 bodies under the rubble, and a severe shortage of heavy equipment and machinery due to Israeli restrictions on their entry. Civil Defense spokesman, Major Mahmoud Basal, pointed to difficulties in identifying decomposed bodies due to the lack of DNA testing devices, while officials confirmed that rescue crews lost 145 members and 15 out of 19 centers were destroyed.

Gaza's Civil Defense warned of the worsening humanitarian catastrophe as winter approaches, amid a severe shortage of heavy equipment and machinery, and continued Israeli restrictions on the entry of rescue and maintenance supplies. Major Mahmoud Basal, the Civil Defense spokesman, confirmed the presence of between 8,000 and 10,000 bodies under the rubble, with difficulties in identifying decomposed and charred bodies due to the lack of DNA testing devices. He explained that the sector needs at least 10 excavators to help retrieve the bodies, while only limited machinery is available, along with a shortage of oils, tires, batteries, and spare parts. For his part, the Director of Governorates at Civil Defense, Samir al-Khatib, said that the agency lost 145 of its members who were killed during the aggression, and more than 300 others were injured, in addition to the destruction of 15 out of 19 centers. The risks are increasing with the approach of winter, in light of thousands of damaged and dilapidated buildings. The Director General of the Government Media Office in Gaza, Ismail al-Thawabta, accused the occupation of preventing the entry of equipment under the pretext of classifying it as "dual-use" items. The number of martyrs since the beginning of the aggression has reached 74,237, according to the figures in the report.