Israel has said that a number of unidentified bodies have been found in Gaza during combat, adding that its military is in the process of extracting and identifying the bodies. This could take several hours, it further said.
US President Joe Biden said his staff was in touch with the Israelis and that they have confirmed the discovery of unidentified bodies in Gaza. Biden said that he was not sure of the number of bodies that had been found and that he was not at liberty to identify the bodies.
Israel has asked people to avoid spreading rumors relating to the identities of the bodies.
Israel war: Over 40,000 Palestinians dead
Since the beginning of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza since October 7, at least 40,691 Palestinians have been killed and 94,060 injured, Gaza’s health ministry said on Saturday.
The war in Gaza broke after terrorists from Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages.
Biden, addressing reporters in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, expressed that he remained “optimistic” about reaching a ceasefire agreement to end the conflict.
“I think we’re on the verge of having an agreement…It’s time this war ended,” he said, adding, “We think we can close the deal, they’ve all said they agree on the principles.”
(With Reuters inputs)
