Gaza death toll mounts to 930 as more bodies recovered

The bodies were retrieved in the first three hours of the truce that came into effect at 0500 GMT as top diplomats gathered in Paris to press efforts for a long-term ceasefire.

The finding of 35 more bodies took the overall Palestinian death toll in Gaza conflict to 930, many of them civilians.

The Israeli army said two more soldiers had been killed, taking its toll to 37 dead.

Palestinians ventured out into the streets of Gaza soon after the  ceasefire took effect. Many returning to areas that had been too dangerous to enter for days.

In northern Beit Hanun, southern Khan Yunis and eastern Shejaiya and Zaitun, they found scenes of utter destruction, with homes flattened and bodies lying in the streets and under rubble.

In Beit Hanun even the hospital was badly damaged by shelling, and the correspondents came across the charred body of a paramedic as emergency workers combed the debris for more dead.

Trails of blood on the ground were crossed by Israeli tank tracks, and there were holes where it appeared Israeli forces had been searching for Hamas tunnels.

Palestinian television showed footage of similar scenes in Shejaiya, which has been subjected to days of relentless Israeli tank fire.

Emergency services spokesman said the three hours into the truce, rescue workers recovered 13 bodies in Shejaiya in eastern Gaza City, 13 more in Deir al-Balah and Nusseirat in central Gaza, and nine in north Gaza.