160 Palestinian bodies recovered in Gaza within 24 hours

At least 160 bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes were retrieved by rescue teams in the Gaza Strip within the past 24 hours, the Hamas-run media office said on Tuesday, reported Xinhua.

It said that the bodies were recovered from various locations in the Palestinian coastal enclave ruled by Hamas, formally known as the Islamic Resistance Movement, using manual and rudimentary tools.

More than 6,500 people are still missing, including over 4,700 children and women, according to the office.

The total Palestinian death toll since the deadly assault on Gaza launched by Israel in retaliation for the Oct. 7 surprise Hamas attack, has surpassed 15,000, including more than 6,150 children and over 4,000 women. Israel said that the Hamas attack killed about 1,200 people while more than 200 people were taken as hostages.

The rescue operations in Gaza were made during a temporary four-day truce between Israel and Hamas, which started on Friday to facilitate the release of some hostages held by Hamas in exchange for some prisoners held by Israel. The ceasefire was extended for another two days on Monday.