Pakistan Court Acquits Four Accused in Journalist’s Murder, Raising Accountability Concerns
December 25, 2025
Head of Russian Detention Facility Charged in Death of Journalist Viktoria Roshchyna and Colleague
December 26, 2025
December 26, 2025 – Palestine –
Rescue teams in the southern Gaza Strip have recovered the remains of 25 Palestinians from beneath the rubble of a collapsed home in Khan Younis, underscoring the enduring human cost of prolonged conflict and the challenges facing recovery efforts under the current ceasefire. Among the bodies identified were journalist Hiba Al-Abadleh and her mother, both of whom were reportedly killed during earlier Israeli military operations in the enclave. Civil Defence officials said the excavation was part of a wider effort to locate victims of earlier bombardments whose remains have remained buried under debris.
The Cairo-based Gaza Civil Defence said the bodies were retrieved from the ruins of the Al-Astal family home in the Al-Satar Al-Gharbi area as part of organised search operations. Teams worked in cooperation with forensic specialists, medical examiners, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and local authorities to identify and recover the remains. Civil Defence officials noted that inadequate equipment and the inability to use modern heavy machinery — owing to restrictions on the entry of such equipment into Gaza — have severely hampered efforts to extract bodies from beneath extensive rubble fields left by years of conflict.
Rescue operations in Gaza have long been obstructed by the sheer scale of destruction resulting from two years of war and bombardment, which left thousands of civilians dead and many more missing under destroyed buildings. Gaza authorities estimate that thousands of bodies may still be buried under rubble, but search efforts are slow and dangerous due to a lack of excavators, bulldozers, and specialised tools. The ongoing restrictions have been described by local officials as violations of ceasefire agreements and humanitarian protocols, as they continue to prolong suffering for families seeking closure.
The recovery of Al-Abadleh’s remains has drawn particular attention because of her role as a local journalist, illustrating the risks faced by media workers in conflict zones and the broader toll of war on civilian life and public information networks. Journalists in Gaza and the occupied territories have been continually exposed to danger while reporting on hostilities, humanitarian crises, and the impacts of armed conflict on local communities.
International and local humanitarian organisations continue to call for unrestricted access for heavy machinery and search teams to expedite body recovery, reduce health risks, and help families locate loved ones. They warn that without improved access and adequate equipment, many victims will remain unrecovered, and grieving families may be denied the chance for proper burial and closure.
Reference –
