Gaza burial crisis deepens amid overcrowded cemeteries, ongoing destruction
GAZA, May 11 (YPA) – The deepening burial crisis in the Gaza Strip has exposed another devastating dimension of the humanitarian catastrophe caused by the ongoing Israeli genocidal war, as many families are no longer able to secure proper burial spaces for their relatives amid overcrowded cemeteries, rising burial costs, and worsening living conditions.
Residents speaking from the Sheikh Radwan cemetery in Gaza City said available burial plots are nearly exhausted, with burials now largely limited to Sheikh Radwan and the Baptist cemetery as the number of daily casualties continues to rise.
According to Palestinian and Arab media reports, burial costs inside Gaza’s cemeteries have surged to between 1,200 and 1,400 shekels.
In some cases, families have reportedly reopened graves to bury multiple victims together due to the severe shortage of available space.
As access to public cemeteries becomes increasingly difficult and burial expenses unaffordable, hundreds of families have resorted to burying relatives in the courtyards of homes and private gardens.
The ongoing Israeli blockade has further intensified the crisis by restricting the entry of construction materials needed for graves, forcing residents to use rubble and mud for burial preparations.
Local testimonies also described disturbing incidents in which shallow graves were reportedly disturbed by stray dogs because of inadequate burial conditions and lack of proper protection, leaving bodies exposed in scenes that underscore the scale of the humanitarian collapse in the enclave.
Reports further documented bulldozing operations carried out by the occupation forces in several cemeteries, including the Al-Batsh cemetery in eastern Gaza, resulting in the destruction of grave markers and the disturbance of remains, leaving many families unable to identify the burial sites of relatives.
The crisis comes amid the continuing Israeli aggression in Gaza since October 2023, which the Palestinian Health Ministry says has caused tens of thousands of casualties and widespread destruction to civilian infrastructure, including cemeteries.
AA