The mass funeral in Gaza City buried 112 people recovered from a residential block struck on 22 November 2023. The victims — from the Abu Sharia and Hassayna families — included 40 children, 38 women and seven people with disabilities. Civil Defence teams, assisted by the ICRC, conducted a two-week recovery operation amid concerns that dozens more bodies remain under the rubble. The BBC sought comment from the IDF; the Hamas-run health ministry reports over 73,000 deaths in Gaza since the war began.
Mass Funeral in Gaza for 112 People Recovered From November 22, 2023 Strike
Hundreds attended the funeral for the members of the Abu Sharia and Hassayna families [BBC]
Large crowds gathered in Gaza City for a mass funeral held for 112 people — mostly women and children — whose bodies were retrieved from a residential block struck on 22 November 2023. The victims belonged to two extended families and were buried after a two-week recovery operation.
Footage and photographs from the ceremony showed rows of bodies draped in Palestinian flags, some accompanied by portraits of the deceased. Mourners described the burial as a long-awaited moment of grieving and partial closure after months of uncertainty.
Who Were the Victims
Lists circulated by relatives identified the dead as members of the Abu Sharia and Hassayna families. They include 40 children, 38 women and seven people with disabilities. Relatives said the victims were inside a multi-storey residential block in the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City when it was hit on 22 November 2023.
Recovery Operation
The recovery was led by Gaza Civil Defence — which operates under the Hamas-run interior ministry — with material and technical support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The ICRC provided equipment, training and rented excavators for hundreds of hours to assist removal of heavy rubble and to ensure the dignified recovery of remains.
Forty children were listed among the dead [BBC]
"We provide material support — literally the gloves, shovels, protective equipment and body bags they use," said Patrick Griffiths, an ICRC spokesperson. "We support them to do their work safely, in line with professional practice, ensuring the deceased are treated with dignity."
Civil Defence personnel and relatives worked together at the site. Officials said the building had been largely levelled and that, according to on-site estimates, roughly 90% of the building's roughly 180 occupants were killed in the strike. Dozens more bodies are believed to remain under the rubble.
Context and Reactions
The strike occurred six weeks after the 7 October Hamas-led attack on southern Israel. The BBC has asked the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for details about what was targeted on 22 November but had not received a response at the time of reporting.
Since the start of the war, the Hamas-run health ministry has reported at least 73,377 people killed in Gaza — figures the UN has described as reliable. Thousands more across the Gaza Strip remain unaccounted for and are believed to be under rubble left by intense bombardment during the conflict.
Relatives at the scene described the anguish of losing entire households. "I'm the sole survivor of my family," said Yousef Abu Sharia, who lost parents, siblings and cousins beneath the rubble. Others questioned why children and other civilians were killed, holding out small personal items recovered from the debris.
The funeral was described by witnesses and local officials as one of the largest mass burials in Gaza since the conflict escalated.
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