PERSONAL: Gaza family hopes to recover relatives still buried under the rubble

Displaced Palestinian Hamouda Sleem returns to the ruins of his family house in Gaza's Khan Younis, scraping through the rubble with his hands, nearly two years after an Israeli strike hit the four-story building.

Hamouda, 37, and his maternal aunt, Hanin Sleem, 40, said seventeen members of their family were killed in the strike on January 23, 2024 and eleven of them - including Hamouda's father and Hanin's brothers, nieces and nephews - remain missing under the rubble.

At the time, Hamouda had been displaced to Rafah with his mother, wife, six children and other family members who survived their relatives.

"We have been pulling out the rubble, with our bare hands, little by little; looking for someone to help us but there is no one to help us," the 37-year-old said.

Hamouda and Hanin hope the U.S.-led "Board of Peace", that would initially aim to end conflict in Gaza, help them in recovering the bodies and allow them to bury their loved ones.

Ali Shaath, the Palestinian former government official chosen to administer Gaza under a U.S.-backed deal, has an ambitious plan that includes pushing war debris into the Mediterranean Sea and rebuilding destroyed infrastructure within three years.

The appointment of the civil engineer and former deputy planning minister last week marked the start of the next phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end Israel's war in Gaza.

“We demand the Board of Peace now to bring in big equipment for the civil defence... We also demand the Board of Peace to expedite the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, because the people, currently in shelters in the Gaza Strip, are suffering immensely and enduring extremely difficult living conditions," civil defence member, Assaad al-Saka said.

Israel cites security concerns for restricting the entry of heavy machinery and equipment into Gaza.

Since the ceasefire started, Israel has repeatedly carried out air strikes in Gaza which it has said were responding to or fending off attacks carried out by Palestinian militants.

Over 460 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire came into effect.

Production: Haseeb Alwazeer, Fadi Shana, Raghed Waked/Reuters