‘I dig with my hands’: Gaza man searches for 24 lost relatives after 2 years

For more than two years, Mahmoud Hilleh has returned daily to the wreckage of his family’s five-story apartment building in Gaza, digging with nothing but a pickaxe and a shovel in a desperate search for the remains of 39 relatives killed in an Israeli airstrike on December 21, 2023.

Only 14 bodies recovered so far

The 40-year-old Palestinian says he has so far managed to pull out and bury 14 of his family members. But 24 bodies remain trapped under the concrete and twisted metal. Hilleh continues the grueling work alone, using only basic hand tools and without any heavy machinery or rescue support. “I have no help. Just my hands and these tools,” he told local media.

A family wiped out

The Israeli bombardment that leveled the family compound killed 39 of Hilleh’s relatives, including women and children. His story has become a haunting symbol of the human toll of Israel’s war on Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023. According to Gaza health authorities, more than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 172,000 wounded, with thousands still missing under rubble. Türkiye has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access, urging the international community to act to prevent further civilian suffering.