Gaza City: Palestinians in Gaza City held a mass funeral on Sunday for about 100 people whose remains were recovered from the rubble of destroyed homes in the Zeitoun neighbourhood.

The remains, including those of about 60 children, were recovered by Civil Defence teams during operations at residential buildings destroyed in the war. Relatives, community representatives and political figures attended the funeral procession, during which the remains were placed near the ruins and covered with Palestinian flags.

The victims belonged to several families, including the Rahim, Balawi, Malaka, Qanbour and Salmi families, according to local authorities. They were killed when residential homes were struck around two and a half years ago.

The remains were taken for burial after funeral prayers. Civil Defence teams said many families had waited years to recover and bury their relatives.

The recovery operation is part of the second phase of a project launched on July 19 to locate Palestinians still believed to be buried beneath destroyed buildings. The project covers 147 destroyed homes in Gaza City and in northern and central Gaza, where about 1,072 bodies are estimated to remain under the rubble.

Civil Defence officials said work has slowed because of a shortage of heavy machinery and deteriorating equipment. Teams are relying on a limited number of excavators, while restrictions on the entry of equipment needed to clear rubble have complicated recovery operations.

The first phase of the recovery project began in November 2025. Over 500 hours of work, Civil Defence teams recovered about 333 bodies and remains of an estimated 559 people believed to have been buried beneath 54 homes and buildings.

Gaza Civil Defence has said thousands more bodies may still be beneath destroyed buildings. Officials have called for additional excavators, protective equipment and search machinery to speed up the recovery process.

The latest funeral follows a similar ceremony in August, when the remains of 112 Palestinians recovered from destroyed homes in Gaza City's Sabra neighbourhood were interred.