Gaza – Ma’an – The corpse of a Palestinian was found on Saturday under the rubble of a house destroyed during the latest Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip last winter.
Palestinian medics identified the man as Abdallah Na’im, who was in his 20s.
Mu’wieyah Hasaneen, head of Emergency and Ambulance Services at the Health Ministry in Gaza, told Ma’an that “the decomposed body was found under the rubble of a destroyed house near the Wa’ed building,” which itself stood near the Islamic University campus in Gaza City, but was destroyed by Israeli aircraft.
He added that “the corpse was moved to the Dar Ash-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City,” noting that “the number of those who were killed during the Israeli war on Gaza amounts to 1,505,” following the most recent discovery.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and its partners on Friday began clearing around 420,000 tons of rubble caused by the assault, and reiterated the need for Israel to ease its blockade so building materials and other vital supplies can enter the area.
“If the borders remain closed this investment will provide short-term relief and not long-term progress,” said Jens Toyberg-Frandzen, UNDP representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, adding that it is crucial that Israel ease its blockade on Gaza so that the materials necessary for recovery and reconstruction can get in.
In addition to causing loss of life and injuries, the three weeks of fighting that took place between 27 December and 18 January damaged or destroyed an estimated 15,000 buildings, according to the UNDP.
