Death toll from israel’s war on Gaza rises to 961

The death toll from Israel’s brutal attacks on the Gaza Strip rose to 961 as more Palestinian bodies are pulled out of the rubble despite a 12-hour ceasefire.

Over two dozen bodies were found in Beit Hanoun after the truce came into force on Saturday.

At least 20 people were killed in a single Israeli tank shelling on the town of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip earlier on Saturday.

Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra says the victims are all members of the same family, including several children.

One Palestinian also died from his injuries in Beit Lahiya in Gaza.

Around 5,700 Palestinians have been injured in the 19-day onslaught.

The United Nations says over 80 percent of the fatalities have been civilians, including more than 200 children.

On Friday, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas and Israel agreed to implement a 12-hour ceasefire brokered by the United Nations.

The temporary ceasefire has come into force to allow the delivery of humanitarian supplies to the area.

Hamas has already said that any lasting ceasefire with Tel Aviv must include the lifting of the Gaza siege along with the release of Palestinian prisoners.

Gaza has been blockaded since June 2007, a situation that has caused a decline in the standards of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment and unrelenting poverty.

Israeli warplanes have been carrying out incessant airstrikes against the blockaded Gaza Strip since July 8. On July 17, thousands of Israeli soldiers launched a ground invasion into the densely-populated strip.

The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, have been launching retaliatory attacks against Israel.

While Israel confirms 37 Israelis have been killed in the war, Hamas sources put the number at about 90.