Rescuers say they find dozens of bodies after Israelis scale back Gaza City fight with Hamas
Civil defense workers on Friday dug bodies out of collapsed buildings and pulled them off rubble-covered streets, as they collected dozens of Palestinians killed this week by an Israeli assault in a district of Gaza City, AP reports.
The discovery of the bodies came after Israeli troops reportedly pulled out of parts of the Tal al-Hawa and Sanaa neighborhoods following days of bombardment and fighting there. The Israeli military launched an incursion into the districts earlier this week to fight what it said were Hamas militants who had regrouped.
The grisly scenes of the dead being brought into a nearby hospital underscored the horrifying cycle nine months into the Gaza war.
After invading nearly every urban area across the tiny territory since October, Israeli forces are now repeatedly re-invading parts as Hamas shifts and maintains capabilities. Palestinians are forced to flee over and over to escape the changing offensives – or to remain in place and face death. Cease-fire negotiations push ahead, nearing but never reaching a deal.
About 60 bodies have been found so far, including entire families who appeared to have been killed by artillery fire and aerial bombardment, Mahmoud Bassal, the director of civil defense in Gaza said. Some bodies had been partially devoured by dogs, he said.
“There are homes that we cannot reach, and there are those who were burned inside their homes,” he said, noting many of those who were killed had left nearby shelters after being ordered to evacuate.
The director of nearby Al-Ahli Hospital, Fadel Naem, said dozens of bodies found in the districts had been brought to the facility, though he didn’t have a precise number.
The Israeli military said it could not comment on the discovery of the bodies. Israel’s assault on the district began earlier this week after it issued an evacuation order for the area on Monday. In a statement Friday, the military said its troops targeted the abandoned headquarters compound of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, where it said Hamas had set up operations.
