He identified his nephew’s remains from his shoe, as search underway in Gaza to recover bodies

A day after the ceasefire began in Gaza, the displaced are returning to Rafah. The border town is a shell of its former self, with many of the buildings in ruins and remains of victims still beneath the rubble. 

Rather than bodies, white bags are filled with clothes, bones and bits of hair — whatever families can find to help with identification. Sometimes the word “unknown” is written across the bag in blue marker. Those souls will be buried without a name or loved ones to claim them. 

Zaki Shaqafa was searching through the remains recovered from under the rubble Monday, looking for his nephew, Abdul Salam Al-Mughair. He recognized a shoe — grey with navy blue triangles on the sides — as he pulled up a photo of his 26-year-old nephew on his phone. Shaqafa pointed to the design and confirmed it belonged to his nephew. 

“We lost him about five months ago,” he told CBC freelance videographer Mohamed El Saife. “And this is what confirmed that this martyr is a part of our family.” 

Nearby, Ibrahim Solayeh, an imam at the mosque, implored civilians to come to the European Hospital to identify bodies and help bury them. 

“These bodies have been in the streets and under the rubble for a long time,” he told El Saife. “[They] reached the point of bones and decomposition.” 

The ceasefire, which took effect Sunday after more than 15 months of relentless Israeli bombardment in Gaza, began with the release of the first three hostages held by Hamas and 90 Palestinians freed from Israeli jails.

Estimated 10,000 bodies under rubble

Solayeh said he received 50 bodies recovered on Monday, half of which have been identified.

Many still remain under the rubble across the Gaza Strip.

More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed in the 15-month war, according to the region’s Ministry of Health. Due to the chaos of war, verifying the exact number of casualties has been challenging and subject to scrutiny.

A peer-reviewed study published in The Lancet on Jan. 9 suggests that the official figures may be significantly underestimated. On June 30, 2024, the Gaza Health Ministry reported 37,877 deaths; the study estimated the number was likely around 64,200 by that date.

The Palestinian Civil Defence said it is searching for an estimated 10,000 bodies believed to be remaining under the rubble.

Haitham Al-Hams, a rescue worker with the Palestinian Civil Defence, said the agency received more than 100 calls on Monday about decomposing bodies being uncovered under the rubble. 

“This is a daily mission for the civil defence,” Al-Hams told CBC News on Monday.

Level of destruction a ‘big shock’

At least 2,840 bodies were decomposed with no traces left of them, Mahmoud Basal, Palestinian Civil Defence spokesperson said on Monday.

Mohamed Gomaa, who was displaced and lost his brother and nephew in the war, said the level of destruction in Gaza was a “big shock.”

“The amount [of people] feeling shocked is countless because of what happened to their homes — it’s destruction, total destruction,” Gomaa said.

“It’s not like an earthquake or a flood, no, no. What happened is a war of extermination.”

Hopeful Palestinians are looking to rebuild the coastal enclave, which was demolished by the Israeli military following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

That assault killed 1,200 people with around 250 hostages taken into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. 

Clearing rubble could take 21 years: report

Reports estimate it will take billions of dollars to rebuild Gaza after the level of destruction caused by Israeli bombing. 

A UN damage assessment released this month showed that clearing over 50 million tonnes of rubble left in the aftermath of Israel’s bombardment could take 21 years and cost up to $1.2 billion US.

Rebuilding Gaza’s shattered homes, meanwhile, could take at least until 2040, but could drag on for many decades, according to a UN report from last year. 

The debris is also believed to be contaminated with asbestos, with some refugee camps struck during the war known to have been built with the material.

A UN Development Programme official said on Sunday that development in Gaza has been set back by 69 years as a result of the conflict.

While the ceasefire appeared to largely hold Monday, medics said eight people were hit by Israeli fire in Rafah in southern Gaza.

The Israeli military said it fired “warning shots against suspects who approached troops deployed,” according to the ceasefire agreement.