Tel Aviv — A civil defense worker in Gaza City told CBS News that 65 bodies were found under the rubble in just one neighborhood of the Palestinian city decimated by the latest Israeli attack. It was the largest city in Gaza, before the war triggered by the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel by the territory’s rulers, Hamas.
The Israeli military told everyone in Gaza City to evacuate again this week – for the second time since the start of the war.
Video from the Shejaiya neighborhood where the bodies were found shows total destruction.
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The Israel Defense Forces said the operation, which 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. Many seemed stunned or disturbed by what they found.
CBS News Gaza producer Marwan al-Ghoul said there were almost constant explosions thundering across the Palestinian territory from 11pm on Thursday until 5am on Friday.
Meanwhile, Israeli negotiators returned from the last round of ceasefire negotiations in Doha, Qatar, this week. On Thursday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of “clinging to demands that put Israel’s security at risk.”
Hamas blamed Israel – claiming the group is procrastinating and trying to thwart negotiations.
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