Daijiworld Media Network – Gaza

Gaza, May 23: Rescue efforts to save over 50 Palestinians trapped under the rubble of a house destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Jabalia, northern Gaza, have come to a halt due to the lack of heavy equipment, Gaza’s Civil Defence announced on Thursday.

In a statement, officials said four bodies were recovered and six people were rescued from the ruins of the four-storey residential building. However, over 50 people remain unaccounted for and unreachable due to the absence of necessary machinery.

“Our teams had to suspend search operations as we lack the technical means to continue digging,” the Civil Defence said.

Thursday’s airstrikes across Gaza killed at least 68 Palestinians, signalling a sharp escalation in the war that has ravaged the region for the past 20 months.

Earlier in the week, the Civil Defence warned that its operations could cease entirely within 72 hours due to severe fuel shortages. “Without fuel, we cannot carry out our humanitarian missions,” the agency stated, adding that the fuel crisis is deepening daily.

Since March 2, Israel has blocked all border crossings into Gaza, cutting off access to food, medicine, and fuel, while ramping up its military offensive, plunging the enclave into a deepening humanitarian catastrophe.