Gaza death toll tops 69,000 as Israel and militants again exchange remains

A tree stands amid the ruins of destroyed buildings in Khan Younis, in the Gaza Strip (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP)

More than 69,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war so far, Gaza health officials said on Saturday, as both sides completed the latest exchange of bodies under the terms of the tenuous ceasefire.

The latest jump in the death toll occurred as more bodies are recovered from the rubble in the devastated strip since the ceasefire began on October 10, and as previously unidentified bodies are identified.