Israeli strikes that started just before midnight continued into Monday, Christmas Day. Israel has increased its air and ground shelling on al-Bureij in central Gaza, according to locals and Palestinian media.

According to Ashraf Al-Qidra, a spokesman for the health ministry, at least 70 individuals were murdered in an Israeli bombing that targeted Maghazi in central Gaza, many of them were women and children.

The Israeli army declared that it was devoted to minimizing damage to civilians and that it was examining the report of an incident in Maghazi. The Israeli accusation that Hamas operates in heavily populated regions or utilizes civilians as human shields is refuted by the organization.

The Palestinian Red Crescent released a video showing injured people being brought to medical facilities. It claimed that Israeli airplanes were striking central Gaza’s key roadways, making it more difficult for rescue vehicles like ambulances to get through.

Eight Palestinians were reported killed by a separate Israeli airstrike near Khan Younis, south of Gaza, according to medics.

In Bethlehem, the Palestinian West Bank city under Israeli occupation where legend holds that Jesus was born in a stable 2,000 years ago, clergy called off celebrations.

“Tonight, our hearts are in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is once more rejected by the futile logic of war, by the clash of arms that even today prevents him from finding room in the world,” Pope Francis said, presiding at Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Palestinian Christians earlier held a Christmas vigil in Bethlehem with candle-lit hymns and prayers for peace in Gaza instead of the usual celebrations.

No large tree was the usual centerpiece of Bethlehem’s Christmas celebrations. Nativity figurines in churches were placed amid rubble and barbed wire in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

A deadly Christmas

Since a week-long truce collapsed at the start of the month, fighting has only intensified on the ground, with war spreading from the north of the Gaza Strip to the full length of the densely populated enclave.

Israel Bombs Northern Gaza, Reports Mounting Military Losses

The Israeli military said 10 of its soldiers had been killed in the past day, following five killed the previous day, its worst two-day losses since early November.

“This is a difficult morning, after a very difficult day of fighting in Gaza,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet on Sunday. “The war is exacting a hefty cost from us; however, we have no choice (but) to continue to fight.”

In a later video message, he said troops would fight on deeper into Gaza until “total victory” over Hamas.

Israel has been under pressure from its closest ally the United States to shift its operations into a lower-density phase and reduce civilian deaths.

On Saturday, Israel’s military chief of staff said his forces had largely achieved operational control in the north of Gaza and would expand operations further in the south.

But residents say fighting has only intensified in northern districts.

Islamic Jihad Leader in Cairo on a Diplomatic Mission

Little public progress has been made in the diplomatic efforts to broker a fresh ceasefire to rescue the remaining hostages held by terrorists in Gaza, despite Washington characterizing last week’s negotiations as “very serious.” These efforts are being mediated by Egypt and Qatar.

A delegation headed by its exiled leader Ziad al-Nakhlala arrived in Cairo on Sunday, according to Islamic Jihad, a minor militant organization affiliated with Hamas. Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, attended discussions before to his arrival.

The Israelis believe they are willing to consider only a brief break in fighting. At the same time, the militant groups have so far stated they will not discuss any hostage release until Israel ceases its offensive in Gaza.

“After a ceasefire is achieved,” the official stated, the team would restate the group’s stance that any hostage-taking must ensure the release of all Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel.

Out of the 240 captives that Hamas and Islamic Jihad took during their October 7 rampage through Israeli cities, during which they massacred 1,200 people, it is still thought that more than 100 of them are being held captive.

Over 20,400 individuals have been confirmed killed in Israel’s confined and mostly destroyed Gaza Strip since then; thousands more are thought to have perished under the debris.
The vast majority of the 2.3 million Gazans have been driven from their homes and the United Nations says conditions are catastrophic.

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