"I think only 4 martyrs were retrieved. First responders were unable to reach the remaining 23 to 25 martyrs because the IDF shot at them. They were forced to withdraw and couldn't make a move forward. That is why we urge the International organizations and the Red - (Loud explosion) Just shoot as you wish (we don't care)... and the Red Cross to intervene urgently to retrieve the remaining martyrs from the Abu Shouqa and Al-Tartouri families."

Ongoing emergency - the majority of victims and casualties are still trapped under the rubble. Civil Defense have been unable to reach them due to continued bombardment and targeting of their crews. There may still be survivors trapped.

At dawn, the IDF launched a vicious onslaught on multiple homes in Block 12 in Al-Bureij camp, central Gaza, with a combination of airstrikes and artillery shelling, in addition to employing drones to target first responders and prevent them from retrieving the martyrs and saving the lives of the injured persons.

At least 5 family homes have been struck and 2 families largely decimated in a massacre that where over 25 civilians are stimated to have been killed, including many children and women.

Hours after the massacre, Israeli forces were still heavily shooting via drones and other means in Block 12 anyone moving or trying to retrieve the bodies of victims. (Source)

Abdulaziz Mohammed, a volunteer with the ambulance and emergency services confirmed they are still being targeted whil responding to distress calls: "Appeals are coming from Al-Bureij camp in the middle of the Strip, with numbers of wounded and martyrs that no one has been able to retrieve. For your information, we went to the place and were directly targeted with shells and gunfire." Tweet

Ongoing search efforts

• On the day after, the bodies of 4 members of the Abu Shouqa were recovered from the rubble, bringing the total number of recovered victims' bodies to 12 (8 from Abu Shouqa, and 4 from Al-Tartouri family)
• On September 19, 3 bodies were recovered: a woman, a man, and torn body parts of a victim
• On September 20, one man's body was recovered.

Israeli bombardment continued throughout September 17, preventings rescuers from approaching the scene:

• Injuries due to the occupation drones firing on houses in Bureij Source Source

• Israeli bombing targeted Block 6 in Al-Bureij Source Source

• Israeli artillery shelling and smoke bombs fired east of Bureij Source Source

Palestinian Civil Defense

Initial announcements at the onset of the assault:

• Received dozens of distress calls
• Upon reaching the area, Israeli aircraft targeted the crew, forcing them to withdraw from the area due to the danger.
• One Civil Defense member was injured
• Urged the Red Cross to urgently coordinate access to the area targeted by recent Israeli airstrikes in Bureij refugee camp to rescue survivors before it’s too late.
• The area had been closed to ambulances and rescue teams for 5 hours." Source

List of targeted homes (identified)

• Al-Batran family home
• Abu Shouqa family home
• Al-Tartouri family home
• Abu Saed Abu Al-Kas family home
• Abu Ayman Al-Baba family home
• Saada family home, east of the Saafin carpentry

"People carry the martyrs on foot from the eastern areas of Bureij camp (Block 12) to Salah al-Din Street, so that they can reach an ambulance or a passing car to transport them to Al-Awda Health Center in Nuseirat or Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah. Which means that this process will last (one to two hours) until the person who was recovered from under the rubble arrives after spending up to 10 hours under the rubble, while the others are still under the rubble." Source

Casualties (to be confirmed)** :

• 16 bodies recovered out of 29 persons presumed killed
• About 80 victims are presumed buried under the rubble Source

List of the martyrs that were found (provisional):

Abu Shouqa family: 19 members

• Salem Abu Shouqa "Abu Yasser"
• Umm Yasser Abu Shouqa
• Muhammad Salem Abu Shouqa
• Umm Hussein Abu Shouqa
• Fatima Awad "Umm Hassan"
• Moatasim Abu Shouqa
• Hassan Hussein Abu Shouqa
• Ahmad Hussein Abu Shouqa
• Moatasim Hussein Abu Shouqa (recovered Sep 18)
• Ibrahim Abu Shouqa
• Ibrahim Abu Shouqa's wife
• Ibrahim Abu Shouqa's daughter
• Muhammad Al-Basha Abu Shouqa
• Reda Anwar Qatayef
• Salem Abu Shouqa's daughter
• Moataz Abu Shouqa
• Moataz Abu Shouqa's wife
• Moataz Abu Shouqa's son
• Amro Abu Shouqa

Al-Tartouri family: 11 members

• Farid Mahmoud Al-Tartouri (63 y/o)
• Farid Mahmoud Al-Tartouri's wife
• Muhammad Mahmoud Al-Tartouri
• Muhammad Mahmoud Al-Tartouri's wife
• Yasser Farid Al-Tartouri
• Saed Farid Al-Tartouri
• Yousra Farid Al-Tartouri
• Hani Muhammad Al-Tartouri
• Ahmed Muhammad Al-Tartouri
• Mahmoud Muhammad Al-Tartouri
• Jana Muhammad Al-Tartouri

Portrait photos of identified martyrs:

• "Martyrs of the Abu Shouqa family" Photo Photo
• "Martyrs of the Al-Tartouri family" Photo
• Flower seller Moatasim Abu Shouqa Photo
• Journalist Mohammed Abu Shouqa (posted by journalist Huda Naim) Photo
• Hani Muhammad Al-Tartouri and his brother Abdurrahman, killed months before Photo