‘I buried 18,000 people’: Elderly Gaza undertaker recounts toll of Israel’s genocidal war

Burying nearly 18,000 bodies during Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, undertaker Yousef Abu Hatab is a witness to one of the worst tragedies in Palestinian history.

With a hoe in his cracked hand, Abu Hatab, 65, buried the bodies that arrived one after another in the southern city of Khan Younis until the cemetery became so full.

Most of the buried bodies had no names, as the graves contained only remains torn to pieces by the relentless Israeli bombing.

“We buried the bodies in harsh conditions, in mass graves, individual graves, and inside hospitals, under unprecedented pressure and a high number of deaths,” he told Anadolu.

Abu Hatab said he once oversaw the burial of 15 bodies in just one grave due to the ferocity of the Israeli bombardment.

The Israeli war was the hardest episode in his career, which began in 2005.

“During the war, I oversaw the burial of between 17,000 and 18,000 Palestinian bodies,” he said.

The Israeli army has killed nearly 71,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,000 since October 2023 in a brutal war that has left the enclave in ruins.

The assault came to a halt under a ceasefire deal that took effect on October 10. Israel, however, has repeatedly violated the agreement.

According to the Gaza Government Media Office, the Israeli army has killed at least 405 Palestinians and injured 1,108 others in attacks since the ceasefire.

Mass burial

Abu Hatab starts his work at 6 am and sometimes extends beyond sunset.

He sometimes digs manually, using primitive tools, and collects remnants of stones and tiles from the debris caused by the Israeli bombardment in an attempt to restore the graves and honour the dead.

“The situation has become unbearable. There are no materials to build graves, no shrouds, and no tools because of the Israeli blockade.”

Though the number of burials has declined these days under the ceasefire deal compared to the first months of the Israeli war, Abu Hatab still buries several bodies every day.

“During the war, we used to bury between 50 and 100 Palestinian bodies every day. Though the figure has now declined, the cemetery is still receiving bodies.”