Gaza’s Deepest Scars: 105 Massacre Victims Unearthed and Buried After Three Years Under Rubble

Gaza’s Deepest Scars: 105 Massacre Victims Unearthed and Buried After Three Years Under Rubble

By TheNATIONWEEK.com News Desk | October 6, 2026

GAZA CITY, Palestine – Nearly three years after a devastating Israeli airstrike, the buried horror of the Al Taj 3 massacre in Gaza City has finally yielded its victims. The remains of 105 Palestinians, meticulously recovered from beneath the rubble of flattened buildings, were laid to rest Thursday in a somber mass funeral at Sheikh Radwan Cemetery. For years, these bodies lay inaccessible, a grim testament to the relentless bombardment and siege that followed the initial attack.

The October 25, 2023 Massacre: A City Leveled, Families Erased

On October 25, 2023, at least 20 bombs obliterated the seven-story Al Taj 3 building and surrounding residential blocks in Gaza City’s Yarmouk Square. The structures were instantly reduced to dust, without warning or provision for safe passage. Entire families, asleep in their homes, were annihilated.

Civil defense teams were unable to access the site in the immediate aftermath. “It was impossible to reach them,” stated Abdul al-Majdalawi, operations director for Gaza Civil Defense. “They were buried where they died – in their own homes.” The intensity of the fighting and the sheer scale of destruction rendered rescue efforts futile.

Horror Uncovered: A Fifth Major Recovery Operation

This grim recovery marks the fifth largest since Israel’s campaign in Gaza commenced. The systematic identification process, often relying on fragments, finally brought a measure of closure to grieving families.

• 105 individuals identified many through partial remains.

• Remains draped in Palestinian flags were carried through streets crowded with mourners.

• A single collective grave now serves as the final resting place for an entire community.

• An Unending Toll: The Broader Context of Civilian Casualties

Even as these victims found their graves, the relentless violence in Gaza continues. This week alone, separate Israeli strikes claimed at least eight more civilian lives, including Muhammad Abdel Aziz al-Najjar, a journalist. His death brings the total number of media workers killed since the conflict began to 263.

Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in similar attacks, with thousands more still unaccounted for – buried beneath ruins, in unmarked graves, or simply vanished. Palestinian authorities estimate over 8,000 individuals remain trapped under the wreckage across Gaza.

The official death toll from Israel’s assault on Gaza, launched after Hamas-led fighters killed approximately 1,200 people in southern Israel in October 2023, now exceeds 74,000 Palestinians, according to territory health officials. Since the ceasefire, at least 1,400 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, while Israel reports four of its soldiers killed during the same period.

The Undeniable Truth: Lives Lost, Justice Denied

These 105 individuals were not combatants. They posed no threat. They were killed in their homes, their bodies left for years as the world largely turned away. Their burial now provides a stark reminder of lives extinguished and accountability still denied.

Regional Reactions and Condemnations

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) issued a rare and forceful condemnation of the ongoing attacks against Palestinians in Gaza and violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque. He reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to Palestinian rights, advocating for an independent Palestinian state based on international references, stating, “Saudi won’t flinch on Palestine.”

Separately, senior Iranian cleric Alireza Arafi condemned the United Arab Emirates for its engagement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, particularly amid the conflict in Gaza. Arafi, a prominent figure, accused the UAE of aligning with Israel and the United States, warning of future accountability from Muslim nations. “Most shameful of all is that in a war in which Netanyahu has killed 70,000 Arabs, Sunni Arabs and Muslims, the UAE president has met with him with complete brazenness and shamelessness,” Arafi stated.

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