Gaza gravedigger: 'I don't know how to sleep'
4 Min Read
The 63-year-old Palestinian has worked as a gravedigger at Al-Soueid Cemetery, one of the largest in central Gaza, for over 28 years and reported he had never seen so much death and damage in his life.
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Palestinian gravedigger Saadi Hassan Barakeh say he has been burying the dead for 28 years, but has never been so busy amid the Gaza war. (AFP)
As the war on Gaza rages, the death toll of Palestinian civilians has also climbed over 40,000.
Saad Hassan Baraka, who manages the largest cemetery in Deir al-Balah, says he has buried approximately 19,000 martyrs since October 7, 2023.
The 63-year-old Palestinian has worked as a gravedigger at Al-Soueid Cemetery, one of the largest in central Gaza, for over 28 years, and reported he had never seen so much death and damage in his life.
Baraka reported burying 200 to 300 victims every week, compared to less than five before the Israeli occupation began its deadly onslaught in the strip.
He stated it was "unbelievable" how before the aggression there was "one or two funerals a week, with a maximum of five," adding that “Now, there are weeks when I bury 200 to 300 people."
The cemetery he currently manages is so congested that he has had to excavate graves on top of existing ones, and burials at the cemetery are continuous and uninterrupted.
"In all the wars in Gaza, I have never seen anything like this," Baraka stated.
Previously, Baraka oversaw the Ansar cemetery, another big burial site in central Gaza, but it is now filled, with no more capacity for new graves.
Baraka's statements highlight the Israeli cruelty, as he has been burying Palestinians for 11 months without end, most of them women and children.
"I don't know how to sleep after seeing dismembered children and women," he was reported as saying, explaining that he buried the "Tabatibi family- 47 women, and 16 of them were pregnant."
He emphasized that the war had nothing to do with the Palestinian Resistance movement or its leaders, detailing how he has only buried 2 or 3 Hamas fighters, but rather the Israeli regime is "intent on eliminating the Palestinian people entirely."
New day, new Israeli massacre: Entire family wiped off civil registry
The Israeli genocidal war on Gaza has entered its 316th day, with Israeli occupation forces continuing to commit atrocities against civilians. They are targeting displaced families, leading to numerous casualties, including children, across various parts of the Gaza Strip.
According to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent, an entire family was wiped off the civil registry after 17 of its members were killed. Most of them arrived dismembered at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. This tragedy occurred after an Israeli occupation airstrike hit a warehouse where the family of the martyr Sami al-Ajla had sought refuge in the al-Zawayda area of central Gaza.
The correspondent also noted that there were still individuals trapped under the rubble, with rescue teams working at the site of the massacre.
Additionally, six martyrs and several injured individuals arrived at the Al-Awda Hospital following an Israeli attack west of the al-Nuseirat camp. The Maghazi and Bureij camps, as well as the Netzarim area, saw intense artillery shelling.
In the eastern part of Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, Israeli occupation bombardments persist despite the "evacuation orders" issued by the Israeli occupation forces, leading to a forced displacement process.
Israeli occupation forces also continued dropping leaflets instructing residents of al-Maghazi, Salah al-Din Street, al-Farouk, and al-Amal areas to evacuate in preparation for military operations in areas previously deemed "safe".
Meanwhile, Palestinian media confirmed the death of 6-year-old Yusuf Abu Ayada, who was shot in the head by an Israeli drone while sleeping in a displacement tent near Hamad City, west of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza.
Our correspondent also confirmed the arrival of the remains of two martyrs at the Nasser Hospital following a direct Israeli strike on a vehicle in the al-Zanneh area, east of Khan Younis.
In the southeastern areas of Khan Younis, "Israel" targeted a house near the European Hospital. The bombardment also hit the mill area and the surroundings of Hamad City in the northwest.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
