Gaza's Shejaiya: a moonscape strewn with bodies

GAZA CITY: The ambulances and firetrucks of Gaza's emergency services gathered on the edge of the Shejaiya district to await news of a humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group.

The word arrived at 1030GMT -- a two-hour truce to allow the retrieval of the dead and wounded, as well as evacuate the terrified people who remained inside the district after a night of non-stop Israeli tank fire.

A convoy of vehicles formed, advancing slowly into the district, with the sound of shelling still thudding through the air.