Mass funeral in Gaza marks 112 lives lost in 2023 Israeli strike
Hundreds gathered in Gaza City to lay 112 members of the Abu Sharia and Hassayna families to rest after the tragic Israeli bombardment of a residential block in the Sabra neighbourhood on 22 November 2023.
The 112 dead included 40 children, 38 women and 7 people with disabilities, a stark reminder of how the conflict has swept across all sections of society.
The bodies, recovered months after the strike, were lined up in rows with Palestinian flags and photographs, allowing relatives to conduct a dignified burial in what the BBC called the largest mass funeral in Gaza’s history.
"After we managed to retrieve them and bury them, perhaps we can be partially relieved despite the pain of loss and all we’re still living through," said one mourner, Ali Abu Sharia.
Recovery operations were led by the Civil Defence under the Hamas‑run interior ministry and were backed by the International Committee of the Red Cross, which supplied equipment, training and excavators to handle the rubble.
Since the start of the war, the Gaza health ministry — which the UN deems reliable — estimates that at least 73 377 people have been killed in Gaza.
The event underscores the ongoing humanitarian crisis and the desperate need for safe recovery units amid relentless air strikes.
