As more and more bodies are being recovered from the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli attacks throughout the Ghaza Strip, the death toll by previous counts had already reached 1058. About 155 bodies were pulled out from the rubble as Ghaza saw a brief truce on Saturday, medics said.

The bodies were found on the 19th day of Israel’s assault on Gaza, during a 12-hour truce in which many Gaza residents picked through the ruins of their homes.

Meanwhile, Israeli TV said that Israel’s security cabinet had approved a four-hour extension of the truce, prolonging the ceasefire until midnight.

As the brief period of calm took effect Saturday, survivors began to venture out of their homes to survey what was left, while those who had fled cautiously returned to see what had become of their abandoned houses.

Palestinian medical teams have used the ceasefire as an opportunity to recover dead bodies still buried under destroyed buildings.

Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman for the Palestinian health ministry, said in a statement at 8:00 p.m. that 155 bodies had been recovered so far.

“The Shujaiyya Massacre”

Many of the bodies were pulled from Gaza City’s Shujaiyya neighborhood, which has experienced some of the heaviest Israeli shelling and airstrikes throughout the Gaza offensive. At least 70 people were killed in the neighborhood in one night of shelling last Sunday, a bombardment Palestinians have come to call “the Shujaiyya massacre.”

Khuzaa in Khan Younis has been heavily targeted as well, but Israeli forces have refused to allow ambulances and search teams to access the village.

More Israeli soldiers announced dead

Meanwhile, the Israeli army said in a statement that the number of soldiers killed during Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza had risen to 40.

“Since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge, 40 IDF (army) officers and soldiers have been killed,” the statement said.

Hamas’ al-Qassam Brigades announced Friday that its fighters had killed “at least” 10 soldiers with explosives in eastern Beit Hanoun.

Palestinian fighter groups have claimed that the Israeli army has yet to announce the deaths of a handful of its troops.

Even taking the army’s numbers at face value, the amount of soldiers killed during Israel’s current Gaza offensive is the largest military loss the country has faced since its war with Lebanon in 2006.

AFP contributed to this report.