Palestinians Hold Mass Funeral for 112 Victims of 2023 Israeli Strike in Gaza
GAZA CITY — August 4, 2026 — Thousands of Palestinians gathered in Gaza City on Tuesday, August 4, to hold a mass funeral for 112 members of two extended families whose remains were recovered from beneath the rubble of a residential block destroyed in an Israeli airstrike nearly three years ago.
The victims, members of the Abu Sharia and al-Hasayna families, were killed on November 22, 2023, when an Israeli airstrike flattened a residential building in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City where they had sought shelter. The bodies were recovered during a 17-day operation by Gaza’s Civil Defense agency after teams were finally able to access the site.
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Largest Funeral in Gaza’s History
Hundreds of mourners filled a cleared plot of land between destroyed buildings, with the bodies laid out in rows, each draped in a Palestinian flag. Some bodies were in caskets, but most remained on stretchers or in body bags.
Family representatives described the ceremony as the largest funeral in contemporary Palestinian history. Banners with photos of the children who were killed were displayed, with slogans asking “what sin were they killed”. The remains were then marched through nearby streets as mourners chanted.
Children and Women Among the Victims
Of the 112 recovered, 44 were children and 37 were women, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense. A breakdown provided by the agency shows the victims included 44 children, 37 women, 29 men, 7 elderly people over 70, and 9 individuals with special needs.
The Civil Defense agency stated that more than 150 bodies remain trapped beneath the concrete of the destroyed building. Over 8,000 people are still believed to be missing and under rubble across Gaza since the start of the conflict.
The 2023 Attack
The residential block was struck on November 22, 2023, six weeks into the war triggered by Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel. At the time, rescue crews were unable to reach the site due to ongoing fighting and the need for coordination with Israeli authorities.
The recovery effort this summer involved a single bulldozer picking through the rubble before more delicate work was done by hand. The International Committee of the Red Cross supported the operation by providing equipment and renting excavators.
Mourners Seek Closure and Justice
For many families, the burial brought both relief and renewed grief after nearly three years of waiting.
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“This is the greatest remedy and healing for the people to retrieve their martyrs,” local leader Nabil Al-Rifi told the ABC. “Their families have been hoping that they will recover them so they can have a peace of mind”.
“I’m the sole survivor of my family,” Yousef Abu Sharia told the BBC. “Today, I’m talking to you [as] the one who lost my mother, my father, my uncle and my cousins and all my family”.
The funeral was held as Hamas announced it was prepared to lay down its weapons, though Israeli officials have expressed skepticism and criticized the proposal. Since the October 2025 ceasefire, Israeli forces have continued to carry out strikes in Gaza, killing over 1,100 Palestinians.
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