A mass funeral was held in Gaza City for 112 Palestinians, mostly women and children, who were killed in an Israeli strike on November 22, 2023. The victims belonged to two extended families, with 44 children, 38 women, and 7 people with disabilities among the dead. This is one of the biggest funerals held in Gaza, following a two-week operation to recover bodies from under the rubble. The funeral was attended by large crowds, who were seen carrying away the remains wrapped in Palestinian flags and photos of the deceased.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Why this leaning score
The article presents a sympathetic view of the victims and their families, using words like 'dramatic footage', 'feeling of pain, grief and loss' to describe the scene, which implies emotional resonance with the Palestinian perspective. The framing also emphasizes Israeli actions as causing harm, without directly attributing blame or expressing outrage.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score -0.55 for article 436 · logged 2026-08-05
- Published
Large crowds turned out in Gaza City for a mass funeral for 112 people, mostly women and children, who were killed in an Israeli strike on a residential block in late 2023, early in the Gaza war.
asserted
who → publish → war
The bodies - belonging to members of two extended families - have only recently been recovered from under the rubble in a two-week-long operation.
asserted
bodies → belong → operation
Dramatic footage showed the remains lined up in rows, each victim covered with a Palestinian flag and some with a photo of the dead, before relatives carried them away.
asserted
relatives → show → them
The funeral is said to be the biggest of its kind to have taken place in Gaza.
asserted
funeral → say → Gaza
"I think this is a feeling that was supposed [to be felt], a feeling of pain, grief and loss," said one mourner, Ali Abu Sharia.
asserted
mourner → think → pain
"After we managed to retrieve them and bury them, perhaps we can be partially relieved despite the pain of loss and all we're still living through."
Forty-four children, 38 women and seven people with disabilities were listed among the dead from the Abu Sharia and Hassayna families, who are one clan.
They were killed when a residential block in the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City was attacked by Israel on 22 November 2023.
asserted
block → manage → November
It was a day of heavy bombardment, six weeks after the 7 October Hamas-led assault on southern Israel, which led to 1,200 people being killed and 251 being taken hostage.
asserted
251 → lead → Israel
The BBC has asked the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for information on what was targeted but has not yet received a response.
asserted
what → ask → response
Since the start of the war, at least 73,377 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.
uncertain
figures → kill → UN
In Gaza, the recovery work was carried out by the Civil Defence, which operates under the Hamas-run interior ministry.
asserted
which → carry → ministry
Its efforts have been supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
asserted
efforts → support → Cross
"We provide material support - literally the gloves, shovels, protective equipment and body bags they use," said Patrick Griffiths, spokesperson for the ICRC.
asserted
Griffiths → provide → ICRC
"We provide training, supporting them to do their work safely, in line with professional practice ensuring the deceased are treated with dignity.
asserted
deceased → provide → dignity
And we've supported them by renting - for hundreds of hours - two of the only excavators available for this work in Gaza."
asserted
we → support → Gaza
"It's not an answer any family wants to receive - confirmation that your loved one has been killed," Griffiths added.
asserted
Griffiths → want → ?
"But it's essential towards them receiving closure and being able to mourn their loss in their own way."
Last month, the BBC filmed the start of the operation to uncover bodies in Sabra.
asserted
BBC → receive → Sabra
A single bulldozer picked through the rubble and then more delicate work was done by hand.
asserted
work → pick → hand
"This multi-storey building has been levelled.
asserted
building → level → ?
Most of them, around 90%, were killed," Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal said at the time.
asserted
Basal → kill → time
"On that day [of the strikes], the Civil Defence crews couldn't get to the site because it needed co-ordination [with Israel via a third party such as the ICRC] and there was great danger in reaching the area.
asserted
it → get → area
Relatives of the dead were at the scene to guide the recovery crews during the recovery work.
asserted
Relatives → guide → work
They said they had retrieved as many bodies as they could immediately after the attack and were relieved to be able to give others a proper burial.
uncertain
they → say → burial
"It's a devastating and sad feeling that resonates with everyone who was here," said Nahed al-Hassayna, as he showed the BBC the rubble of his family's living room.
asserted
he → resonate → room
"The kids – what did they do?" he asked, holding up the possessions of two of his young relatives.
asserted
he → do → relatives
Why were they killed?"
asserted
they → kill → ?
"I'm the sole survivor of my family," said Yousef Abu Sharia, standing nearby.
asserted
Sharia → say → family
"Today, I'm talking to you [as] the one who lost my mother, my father, my uncle and my cousins and all my family.
asserted
who → talk → mother
I lost them under this rubble."
asserted
I → lose → rubble
It is believed that dozens more bodies are yet to be recovered at the site.
asserted
bodies → believe → site
Across the Gaza Strip, thousands more people are unaccounted for.
asserted
people → unaccounte → Strip
The remains of many are thought to be under the rubble left by intense Israeli air strikes during the war.
asserted
remains → think → war
