Gaza Civil Defense says heavy equipment needed to recover 8,500 bodies from rubble.

SHOTLIST GAZA STRIP, PALESTINE (MAY 18, 2026) 1. VARIOUS OF HEAVILY DAMAGED PARTS OF EMERGENCY VEHICLES 2. GAZA CIVIL DEFENSE WORKER WALKING BETWEEN DAMAGED AMBULANCES 3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) GAZA CIVIL DEFENSE SPOKESPERSON MAHMOUD BASAL, SAYING: “...We are talking about nearly 8,500 martyrs still under the rubble. Recovering them requires heavy machinery such as bulldozers, excavators and trucks to remove the concrete blocks and retrieve the bodies trapped beneath the debris...” “...Around 90 percent of Civil Defense vehicles were destroyed during the war. What remains is absolutely insufficient. The vehicles still in use are damaged, old and constantly breaking down...” “...The Israeli occupation refuses to allow this equipment into Gaza. There is currently no ability to respond adequately, rescue people or provide proper services to civilians...” “...Many people contact us asking for help. Sometimes our teams work an entire day without finding anything because we do not have the heavy machinery needed to remove the rubble...” “...But in the end, can we raise the white flag? Can we tell people that we cannot help people? This is something the Civil Defense can never say...”GAZA STRIP, PALESTINE - MAY 18: Nearly 8,500 Palestinian bodies remain trapped beneath rubble across Gaza and cannot be recovered without heavy machinery, Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said on Monday, May 18. Basal said Civil Defense crews urgently need bulldozers, excavators and trucks to remove collapsed concrete and retrieve bodies from destroyed buildings following Israeli attacks. “We are talking about more than 8,000 martyrs still under the rubble,” Basal said. “Recovering them requires heavy machinery such as bulldozers, excavators and trucks.” Basal added that around 90 percent of Civil Defense vehicles had been destroyed during the war and said many of the remaining vehicles are old and heavily damaged. He also accused Israel of preventing the entry of heavy equipment into Gaza, saying the lack of machinery has severely limited rescue and recovery operations. Footage showed destroyed ambulances, damaged emergency vehicles and widespread destruction across Gaza. The Israeli army has continued its attacks in Gaza despite the ceasefire agreement in place since Oct. 10, 2025. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 877 Palestinians have been killed and 2,602 others injured since the truce. The agreement was reached after two years of Israel’s genocidal war, which has caused widespread destruction that affected 90% of civilian infrastructure.