Gaza City, Gaza - The civil defense agency in Gaza said Friday that about 60 bodies had been found in an initial search of two Gaza City districts from which invading Israeli troops had withdrawn.

Civil defense spokesperson Mahmud Bassal said the bodies were found in the Tal al-Hawa and al-Sinaa districts. The agency and residents said Israeli troops had pulled out after days of battles with Hamas, but this was not immediately confirmed by the military.

Dozens more were feared buried under the rubble.

"There are many calls for help but we just cannot reach them," Bassal said. "We just do not have enough crews."

Joke of the Day Joke of the Day for December 19, 2024: The best Christmas jokes to get your funny on

He added that the Sabha Medical Centre, near the Gaza City district of Shujaiya, which provides care for 60,000 residents, had been destroyed in the Israeli assault.

"And the corpses under the rubble speed up the spread of disease," he added.

The health ministry said 32 bodies had been taken to different hospitals across the territory following more nighttime Israeli air strikes and bombing.

On Thursday, the civil defense agency said 60 bodies had been found in Shujaiya after an Israeli withdrawal.

Israel has killed over 38,000 Palestinians in Gaza, but keeping track of the true number of deaths has become virtually impossible under the catastrophic conditions imposed by the Israeli assault.