Tel Aviv — A civilian defense worker in Gaza City tells CBS News that 65 bodies have been found under the rubble in just one neighborhood of the Palestinian city decimated by the latest Israeli assault. It was Gaza’s largest city before the war fueled by the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas leaders in the area.
The Israeli military this week called on everyone in Gaza City to evacuate again, for the second time since the war began.
Video footage from the Shejaiya district, where the bodies were found, shows total devastation.
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The Israel Defense Forces said the operation, which it concluded at the end of the week, targeted militants who had regrouped in Gaza City. The IDF previously claimed to have killed more than 150 terrorists in the area.
Residents returned to Shejaiya on Thursday to search for their belongings amid the rubble, with many appearing bewildered or upset by what they found.
Marwan al-Ghoul, a CBS News producer in Gaza, said explosions were heard almost continuously in the Palestinian area from 11 p.m. Thursday until 5 a.m. Friday.
Meanwhile, Israeli negotiators have returned from the latest round of ceasefire talks in Doha, Qatar this week. On Thursday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of “insisting on demands that endanger Israel’s security.”
Hamas blames Israel, claiming the group is delaying and trying to obstruct negotiations.
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