Vatican newspaper shines spotlight on Gaza’s ‘prolonged agony’
May 06, 2026
In the most prominent front-page article in its May 5 edition, L’Osservatore Romano drew attention to the plight of the people of Gaza, where corpses beneath the rubble are fostering massive infestations of rodents and other pests.
“Gaza is an immense expanse of rubble—both human and material,” wrote staff journalist Roberto Paglialonga. “These elements have mingled into a chilling, deadly amalgam since Israel and Hamas brought an end to the war that erupted on October 7, 2023. Piles and mountains of earth, debris, and refuse conceal various objects, rotting food scraps, dead animals, unexploded ordnance—but, above all, bodies.”
“As of April 26—more than six months after the ceasefire agreement—over 8,000 bodies are believed to remain trapped,” continued Paglialonga, who cited an article in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, “In their current state, these bodies continue to decompose, emitting unbearable stenches and becoming vectors for disease and further fatalities.”
Paglialonga added:
Within the enclave, according to some estimates, a mere 0.5% of the remaining rubble has been cleared; consequently, completing the entire process could take more than seven years. Thousands of people are waiting for the opportunity to give a proper burial to their loved ones, who were killed in the aerial bombardments ...
This constitutes a humanitarian and public health crisis of unprecedented magnitude, in which more than half of the hospitals have been destroyed or severely damaged, and nearly 90% of water infrastructure is out of commission.
“The Strip is enduring a prolonged agony—dragging nearly two million people along with it—an ordeal with no end in sight, which, in the media landscape, has fallen into oblivion.” the Vatican journalist concluded.
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Further information:
- Tra le macerie di Gaza (L'Osservatore Romano, 5/5/26)
- 'People Have the Right to Be Buried': In Gaza, Thousands of Palestinians Remain Trapped Under Rubble (Haaretz, 4/26/26)
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