GAZA STRIP, PALESTINE - APRIL 11, 2025: Israel's relentless attacks on the Gaza Strip have severely crippled Gaza’s Civil Defense services, significantly hindering the region's ability to conduct search and rescue operations amid the ongoing devastation and genocide. For over a year and a half, Israeli military strikes have systematically destroyed Gaza’s infrastructure, killed thousands, and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. One of the most critical effects of the Israeli assault is the continuous targeting of Gaza’s civil defense system, which plays a crucial role in emergency response efforts. According to a statement issued by the Civil Defense Directorate on March 31, a total of 111 civil defense personnel have been killed, 26 detained, and 15 civil defense buildings directly targeted since the onset of hostilities. In addition, 142 ambulances, along with 54 fire trucks, rescue vehicles, and other civil defense units, have been destroyed in the Israeli attacks. The directorate reports that 80-90% of its equipment and vehicles have been rendered inoperable, severely limiting its ability to respond to emergencies and rescue civilians trapped under rubble in the war-torn region. These ongoing attacks on Gaza’s civil defense services—an integral part of the region’s humanitarian infrastructure—have compounded the crisis, leaving rescuers without the necessary resources to assist the victims of the conflict as the death toll from the bombings and airstrikes continues to rise, with many still trapped under debris. Speaking to Anadolu in Gaza City's Tal al-Hawa neighborhood, Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal described the challenges and helplessness faced by rescue teams. “Even before the Israeli attacks, we faced significant limitations. But after October 7, with the bombings collapsing homes on top of families, the burden on our teams has grown immensely,” Basal said. “Eighty to ninety percent of our vehicles and equipment have been destroyed. We no longer have enough vehicles, tools, or basic resources. We rely entirely on our personnel,” he added. “This became painfully evident during an Israeli airstrike on Shujaiyya, where eight buildings were hit. We managed to recover the bodies of 23 Palestinians—but 36 others remain trapped under the rubble.” Basal pointed out that similar tragedies unfold daily. “There are countless people still trapped under collapsed buildings, but we simply can’t reach them. The number of unrecovered victims is nearing 10,000 since the war began.” He also highlighted the creation of a “vehicle graveyard” in Tel al-Hawa, where destroyed ambulances, fire trucks, and rescue vehicles are being collected. “This place has become a graveyard for emergency vehicles,” Basal said. “Everything targeted by Israeli warplanes—burned, shelled, and disabled—is here. None are operational. The few that remain are barely functional, which severely hampers our ability to operate.” Basal urgently called on the international community and the United Nations to provide life-saving equipment and vehicles to support Gaza’s civil defense operations. “The world’s silence is enabling this destruction,” he said. “By failing to act, both Israel and the international community are condemning the people of Gaza to death.” The destruction of Gaza’s civil defense system, an essential part of the region’s humanitarian response, has become one of the most devastating aspects of the ongoing war, cutting off thousands from the hope of rescue and life-saving aid. The Israeli army renewed its assault on Gaza on March 18, shattering the Jan. 19 ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement. Nearly 51,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in ongoing Israeli genocide since October 2023, most of them women and children. The military campaign has left the enclave in ruins and rendered it almost uninhabitable. Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.