Palestinians Pull More Bodies from Gaza Rubble As Ceasefire Holds
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Rescue workers pulled the bodies of nine Palestinians including a child, from under the rubble in Gaza, as Palestinians rallied by the thousands early Friday after a cease-fire took effect in the latest Gaza war.
Thousands of people in the Gaza Strip and across the occupied Palestinian territory poured into the streets to celebrate a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian armed groups.
The ceasefire, which was welcomed internationally, was brokered by Egypt in the early hours of Friday after 11 days of relentless bombing of the besieged enclave and thousands of rockets launched into Israel by Hamas, the group ruling the Strip.
A statement from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said late on Thursday the security cabinet had “unanimously accepted the recommendations to accept an Egyptian initiative for an unconditional … ceasefire”.
Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad then confirmed the ceasefire in a statement, saying it would come into force at 2am on Friday (23:00 GMT on Thursday).
Israel’s bombardment of Gaza killed at least 243 Palestinians, including 66 children, and brought widespread devastation to the already impoverished territory.
Rescue workers have pulled the bodies of nine Palestinians, including a child, from under the rubble in Gaza, local media said.
Eight of them were retrieved from under the debris of their houses in al-Qarara area, northeast of Khan Younis city, while the three-year-old girl was found under the ruins of her family house in Tal al-Hawa, south of Gaza City.
Israeli air raids on Gaza damaged at least 51 education facilities, including 46 schools, two kindergartens, a UN training center, and parts of the Islamic University of Gaza, according to the United Nations’ latest humanitarian report.
At least 66,000 people are still sheltering in 58 UN-run schools across the Gaza Strip. Israeli raids also damaged at least six hospitals and 11 primary healthcare centers, including Gaza’s only COVID-19 testing laboratory that was left inoperable following an Israeli attack that hit a nearby building on May 17.
Gaza’s electricity network also suffered damage, leading to 20-21 hours of daily power outages. This has affected water and sanitation facilities across the strip, leaving at least 250,000 people without access to drinking water.
