Reuters
On the first full day of peace in Gaza on Monday, rescue workers and civilians began to reckon with the sheer scale of the destruction to the Strip.
Gaza’s Civil Defence agency – the strip’s main emergency response service – said it feared there were more than 10,000 bodies still buried under the vast sea of rubble.
Spokesman Mahmoud Basal told the BBC that they hoped to recover the dead within 100 days, but were likely to be delayed by a deficit of bulldozers and other essential equipment.
New images from Gaza following Sunday’s ceasefire showed scenes of total devastation wrought during 15 months of Israeli offensive, particularly in the north of the enclave.
The UN has previously estimated that 60% of structures across Gaza have been damaged or destroyed.
Though the sounds of bombing were replaced by celebrations as the ceasefire began on Sunday, the reality facing people across Gaza remains desperate.
According to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), the war has left more than two million Gazans homeless, without income, and completely dependent on food aid to survive.
That aid began to enter Gaza immediately after the ceasefire on Sunday and the UN said at least 630 lorries went into the Strip before the end of the day.
On Monday, a further 915 lorries entered the enclave, the UN said, the highest number since the start of the war 15 months ago.