More than two-and-a-half years after he was killed, the remains of a Gazan doctor were finally recovered from the rubble of his levelled home on Thursday, as thousands of missing Palestinians remain unaccounted for amid Israel's continued bombardment.
Dr Maysara Azmi Al-Rais, who was also a graduate from King’s College London in the UK, was put to rest alongside his brothers after being killed in November 2023 by an Israeli airstrike that targeted his building.
The Gaza Civil Defence, responsible for recovering the bodies , were unable to recover Dr Al-Rais’ body due to a lack of equipment, resulting in his remains being kept under the rubble, a situation that has plagued the enclave since the outbreak of the Gaza genocide.
“We face significant challenges in recovering bodies trapped under the rubble,” Mahmoud Ashour, spokesperson for the Criminal Evidence Department in the Gaza Strip, told The New Arab .
As Israel continues to enforce a blockade on Gaza, the lack of heavy machinery and specialised equipment vital for safely removing debris while preserving the remains is a major difficulty, with Ashour noting the remains are often fragile due to prolonged exposure to time, weather, and environmental conditions.
“Ambulance and civil defence crews are working tirelessly, but recovering the dead from more than 57 million tonnes of rubble is an immense challenge,” Aseel Baidoun, Deputy Director of Advocacy and Communications at Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), told The New Arab .
“I have friends who have had to dig through the rubble themselves with their bare hands or just basic tools to find the bodies of their relatives and neighbours.”
“This is a direct result of the prevention of entry of the tools needed and another way of denying Palestinians their dignity in life and death.”
While the remains of Dr Al-Rais were recovered, tens of thousands of Palestinians are yet to be found among the layers of rubble from demolished buildings.
Although hundreds of bodies have been recovered since the so-called October 2025 ceasefire, they represent only a fraction of the thousands still trapped, leaving bereaved families without the chance to bury their loved ones with dignity or find closure.
Ashour also notes that another challenge is the inability to collect and preserve DNA samples due to a lack of necessary laboratory equipment and facilities for genetic testing, which are essential for identifying the remains.
He says the enclave is in desperate need of the vital equipment to identify but also provide answers and peace to family members mourning the loss of their loved ones.
“As a result, many recovered remains remain unidentified until the required technical and forensic capabilities become available,” Ashour said.