Under the shadow of ongoing Israeli airstrikes, a heartbreaking scene unfolds in Gaza.
Families, mourning the loss of loved ones, are forced to resort to burying their dead in makeshift graves scattered across the war-torn region.
Unable to reach official cemeteries due to the destruction and danger, makeshift memorials have sprung up in unexpected places – residential neighborhoods, courtyards, even streets and sports stadiums.
Euro-Mediterranean Observatory for Human Rights head Rami Abdu estimates over 120 such grim sites have been documented, each holding the weight of unspeakable loss.
Abdu paints a stark picture: families, already devastated by the loss of their kin, face the agonizing task of burial amidst the chaos.
Road closures, infrastructure damage, and ongoing military operations make reaching official cemeteries nearly impossible.
Hospitals, overwhelmed and under siege, struggle to manage the influx of casualties, adding to the burden.
The Al-Shifa Medical Complex, Gaza’s largest healthcare facility, bears the scars of this struggle. During November’s siege, it was forced to transform into a makeshift cemetery, burying dozens of “martyrs” in scattered graves within its walls.
Bodies decomposed, the Israeli army refusing their removal, leaving the medical staff with no choice but this unthinkable act.
Al-Shifa’s story is not unique.
Al-Quds Hospital and the Indonesian Hospital in the north also witnessed similar scenes of makeshift burials within their premises.
Doctors, forced to make impossible decisions, buried the dead in small gardens and hospital corridors, the stench of decomposition a constant reminder of the tragedy unfolding.
In Jabalia, journalist Anas Al-Sharif faced the unimaginable – burying his father in the courtyard of a local school. With the main cemetery under constant shelling, this desperate act became a grim necessity.
Across the camp, markets, squares, and streets became temporary resting places for the fallen, each grave a testament to the human cost of conflict.
The makeshift graves stand as a stark reminder of the human cost of the ongoing conflict.
They are not just sites of burial, but symbols of resilience and defiance in the face of unimaginable hardship.
As long as the airstrikes continue, these grim memorials will continue to rise, each one a silent cry for peace and justice.