by WAFA – Hussein Nazir Sinwar
Gaza is experiencing a deepening tragedy that is not limited to the living, but also extends to the dead. A stifling crisis is hindering the burial of the bodies of those killed due to a severe shortage of stones and cement needed to build graves, and the Israeli occupation’s destruction of dozens of cemeteries. This has forced the families of those killed to wait long hours in search of a place to bury their loved ones.
In a scene that reflects the gravity of the situation, dozens of families line up at cemeteries hoping to find a vacant grave or the possibility of preparing an alternative one, in light of the bodies piling up on the ground and the inability to honor them with a burial .
Citizen Omar Abu Daqqa said , “I was shocked when we arrived at the cemetery after completing the hospital procedures. We found dozens of bodies waiting to be buried, with no graves ready.” He emphasized that the long waits are an insult to those killed, and reflect the magnitude of the tragedy Gaza is experiencing.
Citizen Mohammed Abu Naja spoke about his painful experience, saying, “We arrived to bury a girl from my family, and were surprised by the huge number of bodies and citizens waiting for graves that had not been prepared due to the lack of necessary construction materials.” He added that the occupation’s targeting of aid seekers in Khan Yunis and Rafah, and the accumulation of bodies in morgues, had exacerbated the crisis.
Abu Naja explained that the crisis does not stop at the graves, but extends to include a shortage of shrouds, as there is no longer enough white cloth, which has led to the use of plastic bags designated for transporting bodies as an alternative .
For his part, citizen Abdul Karim Abu Omar said that his brother was killed during the distribution of aid in Rafah. When they attempted to bury him in the Turkish cemetery, they found no ready grave, forcing them to open the grave of a relative to bury him there due to the long wait and the lack of available graves.
Volunteer Asaad Abu Saqr noted that they had to collect stones from destroyed homes to prepare the graves. They are using clay instead of cement, which hasn’t entered the Gaza Strip for two years, making the graves vulnerable to collapse at any moment. They are covered with tin sheets, which are susceptible to erosion due to the elements.
Abu Saqr explained that most of the cemeteries are located in areas classified as dangerous, from which the occupation forces force citizens to evacuate, making the burial process itself a dangerous risk.
In an attempt to alleviate the crisis, a plot of land was recently allocated next to the Algerian camp in the Mawasi area of Khan Yunis for the construction of approximately 1,000 graves. This came after the occupation targeted more than 40 of the 60 cemeteries in the Gaza Strip, completely destroying 22 of them, severely damaging 18 others, and exhuming and stealing the bodies of more than 2,300 Palestinians who had been killed by Israel.
These tragic conditions have forced citizens to bury their relatives in mass graves in hospital yards, schools, parks, and even in the streets and roads .
