GAZA CITY: Rescue teams in Gaza have recovered the bodies of more than 150 Palestinians from under the debris of bombed buildings following the recent halt in Israeli airstrikes, allowing emergency crews to access previously unreachable areas, according to reports from Al Jazeera citing Wafa News Agency.
Hospitals across the Gaza Strip received at least 155 bodies, many of which were retrieved from the rubble of residential blocks and public structures destroyed during weeks of relentless Israeli bombardment.
Health authorities said that 135 of the bodies were recovered from beneath collapsed buildings, while others were brought in from open areas and damaged shelters.
The al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City reported receiving 60 bodies, while al-Shifa Hospital, also in Gaza City, received 43. In the southern city of Khan Younis, Nasser Hospital took in 32 bodies. Meanwhile, 16 bodies were delivered to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, and four to al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat refugee camp.
Rescue efforts intensified soon after the bombing paused, as Palestinian civil defence workers and volunteers combed through the ruins using limited equipment and their bare hands. Emergency teams described the devastation as “beyond comprehension,” with many families still searching for missing relatives feared buried under the wreckage.
Officials in Gaza have repeatedly warned that the true death toll is likely far higher than reported figures, as hundreds of destroyed buildings remain inaccessible due to the extent of the damage and the shortage of heavy machinery and fuel.
The halt in Israeli airstrikes came amid international pressure to allow humanitarian operations and recovery efforts in the besieged enclave. However, medical workers have stressed that hospitals are overwhelmed, short of supplies, and struggling to handle the influx of bodies and injured survivors.
Since the start of the war, Gaza’s health ministry has recorded tens of thousands of deaths, with many more unaccounted for under the ruins of homes, mosques, and schools that were reduced to rubble during Israel’s months-long offensive.
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