"Let's Definitely Meet Again"... Gaza Strip Parents Wearing Bracelets to Avoid Mass Burial

"Avoiding Mass Burials Without Relatives and Ensuring Posthumous Identification"
Estimated Over 7,000 Deaths on Both Sides Since War Began

Palestinian residents of Gaza Strip wear identification bracelets so that even if their family members die in Israeli airstrikes, they are not buried in mass graves and can be identified.

According to reports from major foreign media on the 25th, some Palestinian residents are wearing bracelets to recognize each other in order to avoid being classified as unidentified and buried in mass graves upon death.

The foreign media also shared the story of Eldaba (40), who lives in Gaza Strip. Eldaba separated from his wife, two daughters, and two sons to avoid having the family gathered in one place during airstrikes, and put blue string bracelets, which he had purchased in preparation for the worst-case scenario, on both wrists of his family members.

He said, "If something happens, we will be able to recognize our family members by these blue string bracelets."

Like Eldaba, many Palestinian parents put identification bracelets on their children or write their names on their arms to prevent mass burial. This is because if the identities of civilian casualties in Gaza Strip are not confirmed, they are buried in mass graves.

Mass burials in Gaza Strip have been permitted by local Islamic clergy. Before burial, medical personnel take photos of the bodies and collect blood samples, then assign numbers.

As a result, some residents are putting bracelets on each other to identify family members’ bodies in case of death, or, like Eldaba, tragic separations from family members are occurring to avoid the annihilation of entire families.

A child injured in the Israeli airstrike lies down in the Gaza Strip, Palestine.
[Photo by Hani Aburesk (Palestinian journalist) Instagram capture]

A similar story was reported by another foreign media outlet on the 22nd, drawing sympathy from people around the world. A child's body in the Gaza Strip hospital morgue was found with a name written on the calf to confirm identity.

Meanwhile, northern Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. The Israeli military has instructed Gaza residents to move from northern Gaza to the safer south. However, airstrikes are hitting Hamas-controlled residential areas indiscriminately across north and south.

An Israeli military spokesperson said, "We have told Gaza residents not to stay near Hamas terrorist bases within Gaza City, but Hamas ultimately uses the entire Gaza Strip as its base," adding, "The Israeli military will attack Hamas targets to crush Hamas’s terrorist capabilities when they appear, but will take necessary measures to minimize civilian casualties."

Since the war between Israel and Hamas began, the estimated death toll on both sides has exceeded 7,000.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip reported on the 25th that the cumulative death toll since the war began is 6,546. Israel has not officially released death toll figures, but local media reported that about 1,400 Israelis have died during the same period due to Hamas attacks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.