Photos: Hundreds feared dead after night of intense shelling

Palestinians are starting to count the dead in Gaza after a night of intense and non-stop Israeli shelling on Sunday, which came under the cover of total darkness amid a communication and internet blackout.

The Palestinian health ministry said in an initial estimate at least 200 people have been killed in the bombardment, which came in waves throughout the night. At one point, persistent explosions from air strikes were heard for 30 minutes without a pause.

Ghassan Abu Sitta, a Palestinian-British doctor volunteering in Gaza, said on Monday morning that 500 bodies have been brought to Al-Shifa Hospital from last night's bombing of the Beach refugee camp.

Palestinian officials said they have received dozens of reports about the presence of hundreds of bodies in different streets in Gaza City. The health ministry has yet to release an official tally.

Palestinians gather as they mourn over the bodies of those killed in Israeli bombardment in Deir Balah in the central Gaza Strip, at the Shuhada Al-Aqsa hospital on 6 November 2023 (AFP)

Palestinian man carries the body of his 8-month-old child Ahmed during a funeral for his wife and four of his children killed in Israeli bombardment, in Rafah on 6 November 2023 (AFP)

A Palestinian child sits next to the wrapped bodies of those killed in Israeli bombardment in Deir el-Balah on 6 November 2023 (AFP)

Palestinians take a group of people killed in Israeli bombardment to a burial ground in the Gaza Strip on 6 November 2023 (AFP)