Gaza’s civil defense authority said on Tuesday it has been forced to halt the recovery of bodies trapped beneath rubble because Israel continues to block the entry of fuel into the besieged territory, leaving rescue crews unable to operate.
The decision means that an unknown number of Palestinians killed in Israeli bombardment remain buried under collapsed homes and scattered across roads, unreachable by ambulances and civil defense teams that have run out of fuel.
Mahmoud Bassal, spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defense, said the agency had stopped operating its vehicles because it no longer has the minimum amount of fuel required to carry out humanitarian interventions. Israel, he said, has prevented sufficient quantities of fuel from entering the enclave.
“The stoppage includes the recovery of bodies from under the rubble and the inability to complete missions to remove dangers from homes at risk of collapse or partially destroyed due to Israeli bombardment,” Bassal told Qatar News Agency .
Bassal called on international institutions and humanitarian organizations to urgently supply civil defense crews, rescue teams and other humanitarian workers with fuel to operate vehicles and equipment, warning that lifesaving services cannot continue without it.
Gaza has been suffering a severe fuel and energy crisis as a direct result of Israel’s blockade and the closure of the territory’s crossings. The situation has not changed despite a ceasefire agreement that entered into force on Oct. 10, with Israel continuing to block fuel, reconstruction materials and other supplies essential to humanitarian services.
Israel’s assault on the Palestinian enclave, launched on Oct. 7, 2023, has killed more than 71,800 people and wounded about 172,000 others, according to the latest statement issued by Gaza’s Health Ministry on Tuesday.
The ministry said that even before the civil defense announced the suspension of operations, rescue teams had been struggling to retrieve bodies, with a number of victims still trapped under debris or lying in streets as ambulances and civil defense crews were unable to reach them.
