Mahmoud Khalla lost his entire family in an airstrike and spent months alone in Gaza before recovering their remains from the rubble.
Mahmoud Khalla visits a local cemetery every morning in Gaza. He mourns the loss of his family members during the ongoing war. He walks between their graves to feel close to them again.
For forty-year-old Mahmoud, these graves hold the people he loved most. His wife, children, parents, and siblings died on December 21, 2023. They were all gathered inside their five-storey home in Jabalia.
Meanwhile, an Israeli airstrike hit the building that evening. Mahmoud had stepped out to find food for his family just moments earlier. He returned to find his home destroyed and all thirty-nine people inside killed.
Also, Israeli tanks and surveillance aircraft made rescue efforts impossible that night. Mahmoud could not anyone from the rubble. He felt helpless as he waited for a chance to search the ruins.
Later, he returned the next morning to call out to his relatives. No one answered his pleas for help. He realized then that he had lost almost everyone he cherished.
After that, Mahmoud lived in total isolation for many months. He had no home and no family left to support him. He slept in cars or on the streets while searching for food.
However, the situation changed after a ceasefire began in October 2025. Mahmoud finally started the painful process of recovering his family members. He spent three months digging through the rubble by hand.
Next, he received help from neighbors and friends during this difficult task. They worked together to find remains buried under five floors of debris. This work took until May of this year.
Finally, Mahmoud buried his loved ones in a cemetery near Jabalia. He says he feels a sense of relief after giving them a proper burial. He continues to visit them every single morning.