Gaza civil defense teams retrieve bodies of Palestinians killed by Israel in Khan Younis

By Mohammed Majed

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Gaza civil defense teams are still working on retrieving the bodies of the Palestinians killed by the Israeli army during its incursion into Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, according to Anadolu on Saturday.

A correspondent reported that civil defense teams found bodies under the rubble of homes, in alleys and on the side of roads after four months of the Israeli incursion.

Medical teams are working on retrieving the bodies and transporting them to hospitals where they are buried in cemeteries.

After finding the bodies, the number of which is unknown due to their fragmented retrieval from the rubble of homes, civil defense teams perform funeral prayers on the streets.

On April 7, the Israeli army announced its withdrawal from Khan Younis after four months of a ground operation aimed at retrieving Israeli hostages held by Hamas, but it exited the city without achieving its objectives.

The Israeli military operation left extensive destruction of roads, homes and infrastructure.

Palestinians in Khan Younis had evacuated during the ground operation to areas near Rafah and central areas in Deir al-Balah, where they sought shelter in tents and displacement centers such as schools and hospitals.

Flouting the International Court of Justice’s provisional ruling, Israel continues its onslaught on Gaza where at least 34,049 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and 76,901 injured since Oct. 7, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Hostilities have continued unabated, however, and aid deliveries remain woefully insufficient to address the humanitarian catastrophe.​​​​​​​

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala