LIVE UPDATES
Rescue workers on Friday excavated bodies from collapsed buildings and cleared rubble-covered streets in a district of Gaza City, where dozens of Palestinians were killed in an Israeli attack earlier in the week.
The bodies were found after Israeli troops reportedly withdrew from parts of the Tal al-Hawa and Sinaah neighborhoods following days of bombardment and fighting.
The Israeli military had entered the districts to combat what they claimed were regrouped Hamas fighters.
The grim scenes highlighted the ongoing cycle of violence in the nine-month-long Gaza war.
Israeli forces have repeatedly re-entered urban areas as Hamas shifts its strategies, forcing Palestinians to flee or face repeated offensives.
Ceasefire negotiations continue, but a lasting agreement remains elusive. Videos on social media showed rescue workers wrapping bodies, including women, in blankets on the debris-strewn streets, with some bodies found in collapsed buildings.
Around 60 bodies have been recovered so far, with some showing signs of being killed by artillery fire and airstrikes as they attempted to escape.
Some bodies were partially eaten by dogs, while others were burned or trapped in the rubble.
The director of Al-Ahli Hospital reported receiving at least 40 bodies from the districts.
The Israeli military declined to comment on the discovery of the bodies.
The assault on the district began after an evacuation order was issued by Israel on Monday.
