DOHA, May 8. /TASS/. At least 8,000 bodies are still trapped under the rubble in the Gaza Strip but the lack of equipment is hindering recovery efforts, the Emirati newspaper The National reported, citing civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal.

According to him, the available equipment is worn out and unable to handle the vast scale of destruction caused in two years of military operations. "The number may be higher - every day, new names emerge," the paper quoted the official as saying.

Bassal also pointed to the spread of rodents and stray animals in the enclave, which is leading to a health hazard. Israel is reluctant to allow suitable machinery to enter Gaza to help remove the rubble; the Israeli army has only agreed to allow the delivery of rodenticides, the newspaper noted.

According to the United Nations, over 61 million metric tons of rubble remains in Gaza, with just 1% of debris removed so far. Israeli airstrikes, fighting on the ground and controlled demolitions destroyed more than 123,000 buildings in the Gaza Strip and left an additional 75,000 damaged, accounting for 81% of all structures in the enclave. The Wall Street Journal estimates that clearing the enclave could cost over $1 billion.

On October 9, 2025, Israel and the radical Palestinian movement Hamas - with mediation from Egypt, Qatar, the United States, and Turkey - agreed to implement the first phase of a peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump. The Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect on October 10.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking hostages. In response, Israel launched a military operation in the Palestinian enclave to dismantle Hamas' military and political structures and free all hostages.