A digger supplied by Egypt moves the rubble of destroyed buildings, in Gaza City. AFP
The latest jump in deaths is attributed to more bodies being recovered under the rubble in the devastated strip since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10, and also because previously unidentified bodies were identified.
It also includes Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes on the strip since the truce took hold.
Though fragile, the deal appears to be holding, with Israel earlier on Saturday returning the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza, according to hospital officials in the strip. The handover came a day after militants returned the remains of a captive to Israel.
Employees of the Nasser Medical Complex wheel a body bag, as they arrive in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP
The exchanges of the dead are the central component of the initial phase of the ceasefire deal, which requires that Hamas return all captives' remains as quickly as possible.
Nearly a month after the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, authorities in Gaza continue to recover bodies amid widespread destruction, using limited equipment and resources.
The Health Ministry in Gaza said that the total number of people killed by Israel in the Gaza Strip has risen to 69,169, after more of the dead were ID-ed and more bodies were recovered.
The ministry said 284 additional people were recently added to the cumulative total after their identities were verified between Oct. 31 and Nov. 7.
Also, over the past three days, 10 bodies were brought to Gaza hospitals — nine retrieved from under the rubble and one newly killed by Israel — along with six injured, the ministry also said.
It added that a large number of Palestinians remain missing.
Various estimates put the number of Palestinians buried under the rubble of homes and buildings destroyed by two years of Israeli bombardment in Gaza at 10,000.
Meanwhile, in violation of the ceasefire that began on October 10, a total of 241 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza.
Israel confirmed Saturday that the remains given back the previous night were of an Israeli captive who died while fighting on 7 October 2023.
For each Israeli captive returned, Israel has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians. Following the return of the latest captive body, Israel on Saturday handed over the 15 Palestinian bodies, and Nasser Hospital in the central Gaza city of Khan Younis confirmed receiving them.
Since the ceasefire started, Hamas has released the remains of 23 Israeli captives, who were killed in Israeli carpet bombing of the strip since October 2023. Israel has so far handed over the bodies of 300 Palestinians.
Gaza health officials have struggled to identify the bodies without access to DNA kits, and have so far identified 89 of them, Gaza’s Health Ministry says.
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