Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russian agency: Russia will conduct a nuclear test if the US does
Al-Nakhalah: We are the rightful owners, and we must fight to retrieve our rights
Al-Nakhalah: The enemy and its allies must know that we can never surrender to their terms and diktats after all the sacrifices made
Al-Nakhalah: The prisoner exchange clause can be completed in the next few days, and thus we will have pulled the [explosion] fuse and removed the enemy's justifications for aggression
Al-Nakhalah: The Resistance has expressed its willingness to negotiate on the basis that there are items that can be dealt with positively, the first of which is the prisoner exchange item
Al-Nakhalah: Trump's plan entails the Palestinian people's declaration of complete surrender to the enemy
PIJ Secretary-General, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, in an address aired on Al Mayadeen: The Resistance is engaging in a fierce negotiating battle under the so-called Trump plan
Russian Federation Council approves joint military cooperation agreement with Cuba
Al-Nunu: Today, the lists of prisoners required to be released, the agreed-upon criteria and numbers, were exchanged
Al-Nunu from Sharm el-Sheikh: Negotiations focused on mechanisms for implementing an end to the war, the withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, and the exchange of prisoners

Gaza gravedigger: 'I don't know how to sleep'

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 17 Aug 2024 20:39
  • 7 Shares
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.

Listen
  • x
  • 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)
    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.

Related News

Every 2 days, 13 Palestinians amputated, 6 paralyzed or blinded

Lists of prisoners to be released exchanged: Hamas on ceasefire talks

"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.

  • Gaza
  • war on Gaza
  • Gaza Strip
  • Israel
  • Israeli occupation
  • Deir al-Balah
War on Gaza

War on Gaza

Most Read

Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder revealed

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder exposed

  • Politics
  • 5 Oct 2025
Al-Quds Brigades strike a command and control center north of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, in an undated screengrab from the al-Quds Brigades military media

Gaza resistance announces major operations against Israeli forces

  • Politics
  • 1 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Retired Israeli General Brik says Israel has reached point of no return.
Politics

Retired Israeli General Brik: 'Israel has reached point of no return'

Depleted by foreign wars, US seeks to re-arm for another confrontation
Politics

Depleted by foreign wars, US seeks to re-arm for another confrontation

Gaza’s newborns gasp for life as hospitals collapse amid Israeli war
Health

Gaza newborns gasp for life, share oxygen masks amid collapsed system

UK arms exports to 'Israel' reach record high despite ban calls
Politics

UK arms exports to 'Israel' reach record high despite ban calls

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS