Israeli NGO recovers 108 bodies in Gaza envelope area

By Zain Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) – The bodies of at least 108 Israelis have been recovered in the Be'eri settlement in the Gaza envelope area, an Israeli non-governmental organization said late Monday.

A spokesperson for Zaka Search and Rescue said "large teams of them transferred the bodies from Kibbutz Be'eri throughout the day," according to Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

The NGO said their work in the area is still underway.

"We took out 108 bodies, and we are not finished yet," the spokesperson said.

The Gaza envelope area refers to the region of Israel surrounding the Gaza Strip.

The Be'eri settlement was the scene of clashes between Israeli security forces and dozens of Palestinian gunmen who infiltrated from the Gaza Strip.

On Sunday, Zaka announced that it had recovered the bodies of 250 Israelis from the Ra’im area in the Gaza envelope.

The Gaza-based Palestinian resistance group Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel early Saturday, firing a barrage of rockets. It said the surprise attack was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and growing settler violence.

In retaliation, the Israeli army launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza has risen to 704, including 143 children and 105 women, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said early Tuesday.

It said the number of wounded has risen to around 4,000.

At least 900 Israelis have been killed and over 2,600 others wounded in the fighting, according to the Israeli Health Ministry.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat