66 Palestinians recovered from rubble in Gaza amid ceasefire deal

By Hosni Nedim

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Civil defense teams retrieved the bodies of 66 Palestinians from the rubble of destroyed houses in the Gaza Strip, the agency said on Tuesday.

In a statement, the service said 58 bodies were recovered in southern Gaza on Monday, while eight others were pulled out from under the rubble in northern Gaza.

The agency said civil defense teams and volunteers continue to search the rubble for more victims amid a lack of machinery to retrieve them.

A Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect on Sunday, suspending Israel’s genocidal war that has killed nearly 47,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 110,700 others since Oct. 7, 2023.

The 3-phase ceasefire agreement includes a prisoner exchange and sustained calm, aiming for a permanent truce and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The Israeli onslaught has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of many elderly people and children in one of the worst global humanitarian disasters ever.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

*Writing by Betul Yilmaz