According to the health ministry, more than 9,400 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since October 7, including 3,900 children and 2,509 women. Over 2,200 people are believed to be missing under the rubble of collapsed houses and buildings.
Abdullah Abu Shamala is one of the many who have lost most of their family members in Israeli airstrikes. On Thursday, an airstrike killed his wife and children. Two of his daughters are still under the rubble, with their fate unknown.
"After I returned home from work, I saw this destruction. I asked 'Where are my daughters?'. My wife and all my family were martyred. Only five of them remained. And the whole night I did not sleep and said, 'Where are my daughters, and who is helping me find them?' God had blessed me with them after 11 years of waiting and my psychological state is shaken and uneasy. We cannot do anything. My daughters are still under the rubble and I wish I could reach them," the distraught father told Rudaw.
Ahmed Hamouda is facing a similar plight, with children from his family still under the rubble.
"My sister and her three-week-old infant son were martyred, and only one of her other four children survived. Her eldest son, 7 years old, was martyred, while her other daughter, 5 years old, and another child of hers, 3 years old, are still under the rubble," Hamouda added.
The intensity and severity of the Israeli bombardment has hindered the work of the rescue and civil defense teams in reaching the victims and missing persons.
"The large number of Israeli bombings and destruction hinder us from saving many people. Dozens of homes are targeted every single night. We face many obstacles due to the lack of equipment, especially heavy machinery. The bombing continues and destroys entire residential neighborhoods," Mohammed Siam, spokesman for the Civil Defense of Gaza Strip said.
According to data published by local authorities of Gaza, the Israeli bombing campaign has caused the destruction of more than 50 percent of the housing units.
Palestinian authorities says that more than half of the population of the Gaza Strip has been displaced.
Israel declared war on Gaza after Hamas fighters launched a surprise attack on Israel earlier this month, killing 1,400 people.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has warned of an imminent humanitarian catastrophe as people who have taken refuge in schools continue to be unable to access food, water, and medicine.
