Ahmed Abu Sharia, who belongs to the extended family of those being buried, said the long-delayed funeral would finally give relatives a measure of closure. “This is a funeral for the Palestinian people, because they are victims. Mr Bassal said more than 8,000 bodies remain trapped beneath Gaza’s rubble. At the mass funeral — described as one of the largest ever organised in Gaza — men stood in a silent line on the sand to pray. Restrictions imposed on media outlets and limited access in Gaza by Israel prevent AFP from independently verifying tolls or freely covering the violence there.