Bodies pile up in Gaza morgue as Israel blocks DNA equipment

In one of the most harrowing scenes of Israel's ongoing war on Gaza, hundreds of unidentified bodies and remains are piling up in the morgue of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, as Israel continues to block the entry of DNA testing equipment needed to determine their identities.

The families of the dead are left in agony, unable to properly mourn or bury their loved ones, as the territory remains under a devastating siege that has stretched beyond 18 months.

Since the start of what many rights groups and officials describe as a campaign of genocide, Israel, backed by unwavering US support, has imposed a crippling blockade that has starved Gaza of medical supplies, including the tools necessary to perform genetic identification.

Inside the morgue in Gaza City, forensic doctor Imad Shehadeh works silently in what he describes as catastrophic conditions, examining body parts and decomposing remains with only basic tools. The smell of death mixes with smoke and dust, the room crowded with human remains - some reduced to bare bones.

"We're overwhelmed by the growing number of decomposed, unidentifiable bodies," Shehadeh told Anadolu Arabic. "We don't have DNA testing equipment, and Israel has blocked all efforts to bring any in. Without it, it’s almost impossible to identify most of these people."

With modern tools out of reach, doctors are forced to rely on rudimentary methods: checking teeth, measuring bones, examining personal effects like rings, keys, or clothing, and cross-referencing this with the descriptions provided by desperate family members.

Many of the corpses are severely burned or mutilated, rendering facial or visual identification impossible.

"Sometimes we can estimate gender or age by examining the skull or bones," Shehadeh said, as he held a skull between his hands. "But without DNA, that’s not enough. Genetic testing is the only reliable way."

The situation has become so dire that the morgue now contains around 450 bodies, some of which have been buried and later exhumed, and others retrieved from beneath the rubble months after they were killed. Shehadeh says only ten of these bodies have been identified to date.

Meanwhile, bodies continue to arrive.

Mass graves and makeshift burials

Due to the near-constant Israeli bombardment, Gaza's hospitals, parks, and even sidewalks have been turned into burial grounds. In many cases, families have been forced to bury loved ones in courtyards, hospital yards, or empty plots, often without proper records or grave markers.

The health ministry says that many bodies remain trapped beneath the rubble of homes and buildings, some for months, as civil defence teams struggle with limited tools and are often unable to reach the dead due to Israeli airstrikes and fuel shortages.

"We are still recovering bodies from ruins that were bombed months ago," said Shehadeh. "In some cases, all that's left is bone. And we still have no way to identify them."

The Government Media Office in Gaza has reported over 11,000 missing persons since the war began, including those presumed dead but never recovered.

As of April, more than 168,000 Palestinians have been killed or wounded in Gaza since 7 October 2023, the vast majority of them children and women.

Gaza’s medical infrastructure is collapsing. According to the health ministry, nearly all of Gaza's hospitals have been damaged or destroyed, and those that still function are overwhelmed, lacking basic supplies. The few remaining morgues are over capacity, with staff working without proper refrigeration, testing equipment, or space.

The blockade has not only denied entry of medical and forensic supplies, but it has also blocked international forensic experts and humanitarian workers from entering Gaza to help with the crisis.

"These bodies have families. They deserve a name, a grave, a farewell," Shehadeh said. "But we can’t do anything without the tools. We're asking the world to help us give the dead their dignity."