Gaza's Graves Overwhelm Amid Ongoing Conflict

In Gaza's Deir al-Balah cemetery, volunteer gravedigger Sa'di Baraka works tirelessly to make room for the mounting dead caused by the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Cemeteries are overwhelmed, with families burying loved ones wherever possible. The war has transformed Gaza into a landscape of relentless death and displacement.

Volunteer gravedigger Sa'di Baraka, in Gaza's Deir al-Balah cemetery, toils endlessly to excavate new graves in response to the mounting casualties from the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. With an ever-growing death toll, he and his team often stack graves atop each other to accommodate the deceased.

Since October, Gaza's densely populated lands have seen an unremitting wave of deaths, now claiming nearly 2% of the prewar population. Morgues overflow, and families are forced to bury their loved ones in makeshift graves in backyards, parking lots, and along roadsides, according to eyewitnesses and video footage.

The Israeli military's offensives have not spared cemeteries, with satellite imagery showing over 20 burial grounds hit or destroyed. Amid this backdrop, health officials warn that bodies under rubble could push the toll thousands higher, leaving Gaza perilously caught in a cycle of death and displacement.

(With inputs from agencies.)