Lost families in the rubble of Gaza have become a tragic reality for families who have been obliterated by the rubble of destroyed homes, in a scene that is repeated every day, where rubble is scattered and stories of children, mothers and fathers whose names are not recorded in the lists of martyrs, not even in the lists of survivors, but they are unable to reach between life and death, in light of the continued Israeli aggression and the continuous bombing, the houses are destroyed without warning.
Humanitarian situation of families missing in Gaza rubble
Many families and people are completely obliterated under the rubble of their homes that have been destroyed by aerial bombardment. As the Israeli shelling and aggression on Gaza continues, this scene is repeated every day and the magnitude of the disaster exceeds the numbers. What is happening here extends to a bigger crime, where the Israeli army prevents them from approaching the sites of shelling and lifting them under the rubble for long times. In many cases, people in Gaza are killed not only by shelling, but by preventing those who can save them from approaching them.
Families remain for hours and days crying out for rescue while people are prevented from rescuing them. With no equipment, the crisis worsens and becomes more difficult. Heavy rescue equipment and basic resources such as shearing tools, cranes, and life detectors are either destroyed, depleted, or banned by the Israeli blockade.
Despite the starvation in the Strip, and its impact on people from a physical and psychological collapse, where people do not find their day's sustenance, and remain for hours and even days without food, but they run and search under the rubble, with their bare hands, their trickiness, or their exhausted bodies, will find their hands to save the families lost under the rubble, and the shock comes doubled, when the human being is forced to move between the stones and rubble
The conditions under the rubble cannot be described in words, they represent the height of tragedy, terrified children, who do not understand what is going on, crying in the dark, trembling in fear of every sound, shouting the names of their mothers who have lost their lives beside them, some being held for hours, others for days, trapped by the bodies of their loved ones, witnessing the death of their families before their eyes, without being able to do anything. This reality, experienced by hundreds of civilians in Gaza, is a daily reality that is being repeated silently, amid an almost total absence of rescue and a total lack of justice.
Read more about Gaza’s struggle for survival
How to find lost families in Gaza?
In many cases, Israeli military forces prevent civil defense teams or residents from approaching newly bombed sites, citing security threats or the possibility of weapons under the rubble, and there are documented reports of Israeli forces targeting those trying to approach places of bombardment, including the use of snipers, direct fire on rescue teams, or civilians trying to search for their families, which increases the risk of injury or killing rescuers and injured under the rubble.
Search and rescue operations require the use of advanced techniques and equipment to ensure the speed and effectiveness of rescuing as many victims as possible, but in Gaza, civil defense and rescue teams suffer from a severe shortage of such equipment, exacerbating the tragedy. Without this equipment, searches are limited to manual digging, and the teams in their manual search rely on the screams of the stranded as there are no sound and motion sensors to determine the presence of living people under the rubble.
In addition to the security risks and lack of equipment, families missing under the rubble in Gaza face extremely difficult humanitarian conditions, with those trapped suffering from lack of oxygen and light, while civil defence teams continue to operate with limited capacity amid food and fuel shortages, and are suffering from severe physical and psychological fatigue, but continue their efforts in search of survivors despite all the difficulties. Parents are also involved in the search despite the psychological distress caused by the loss of loved ones, which further complicates the task and puts enormous psychological pressure on everyone. Added to this is the ongoing blockade, which impedes the entry of necessary equipment and tools, and prevents humanitarian access, making dealing with this humanitarian disaster a double challenge.
Read more about Gaza under the rubble
Support to affected families in Gaza
Families pulled from the rubble in the Gaza Strip face humanitarian challenges after surviving death, suffering physical and psychological damage and severe injuries, as well as the loss of homes and property, and the loss of family members. Providing support to these families requires urgent medical care for physical injuries and urgent assistance in providing alternative shelter, food and basic necessities for daily life.
Gaza is experiencing challenges in providing basic needs for families who have escaped the rubble, as a result of the ongoing blockade, which severely hinders the entry of medical supplies, food supplies and necessary shelter materials. These difficulties exacerbate the humanitarian crisis, as affected families become exposed to additional health and psychological risks amid lack of basic resources.
It is the duty of each and every one of us to contribute to Gaza. Under these circumstances, support and contributions to Gaza are indispensable, because of their impact on the provision of food, water and medical care. Every contribution, however small, has an impact on the industry.
