Live blog: 70 Palestinians killed in Israeli strike in Maghazi refugee camp

Sunday, December 24, 2023

2035 — At least 70 Palestinians were killed in Gaza in one of the deadliest strikes of Israeli aggression, while Israel’s leaders acknowledged the “very heavy price” after 15 soldiers were killed in combat over the weekend.

The strike hit the Maghazi refugee camp, east of Deir Al Balah. Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf Al Qidra said, at least 60 people were killed and the toll was likely to rise. An AP reporter on the scene watched bodies and wounded being carried in, including children.

As Christmas Eve fell, smoke rose over the besieged territory, while in the occupied West Bank Bethlehem was hushed, its holiday celebrations called off. In neighbouring Egypt, tentative efforts continued on a deal for another exchange of prisoners for Palestinians held by Israel.

The mounting death toll among Israeli troops — 154 since the ground offensive began — could erode public support for the war, which was sparked when Hamas-led fighters stormed towns in southern Israel on October 7.

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2101 GMT — Israeli army says it retrieved bodies of 5 hostages killed in Gaza

The Israeli army announced that it retrieved the bodies of five Israeli hostages from a tunnel in Gaza.

The announcement came a day after the Qassam Brigades said that it lost contact with a group responsible for five Israeli hostages and that the hostages might have been killed in Israeli strikes.

“Israeli forces have uncovered a network of tunnels in the Jabalia, northern Gaza, and retrieved the bodies of five Israeli hostages who were killed there,” army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a statement.

2015 GMT — Jordanian military drops aid for people in Gaza

Jordanian military dropped humanitarian aid for people trapped inside St. Porphyrius Church in Al Zaytun neighbourhood, northern Gaza.

1950 GMT — Hamas commends Palestinian Christians' decision to limit Christmas celebrations amid Gaza war

Hamas commended the Palestinian Christians’ decision to limit their Christmas celebrations to religious rituals amid the Israeli aggression on Gaza.

"The holidays of our Christian people come this year amid a continuing fascist aggression launched by the occupation (forces) against all components of our Palestinian people targeting all both mosques and churches," Hamas said in a statement.

1735 GMT — At least 50,000 pregnant women in need of help in Gaza – UN

The UN Palestinian refugee agency is struggling to provide care for at least 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza amid relentless Israeli attacks.

"There are an estimated 50,000 pregnant women in the Gaza Strip, with over 180 giving birth every day," the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) said in a statement.

The UN agency said its doctors and midwives "are doing everything possible to provide care for post-natal & high-risk pregnant women at the 7 operational UNRWA health centres."

1622 GMT — Thousands of Moroccans rally against Gaza war, Israel ties

Protesters marched through Morocco's capital in support of Palestinians, calling for an end to Israel's war on Gaza which has killed thousands in the enclave.

The crowd in Rabat of about 10,000 people denounced what protest leaders called a "war of extermination" as well as the normalisation of relations between Morocco and Israel.

They marched along Mohammed V Avenue in the heart of the city, beneath banners declaring "Stop the war of extermination in Gaza, stop normalisation."

1749 GMT — Palestinians recount 'torture' in Israeli army custody

Palestinians held by the Israeli army in Gaza had suffered torture, two freed detainees and a medic said.

The two men were among hundreds detained by Israeli forces during Israel's ongoing ground offensive in the besieged enclave.

About 20 men released from Israeli custody "have bruises and marks of blows on their bodies", Marwan al Hams, hospital director in the southern city of Rafah, said. Hams said the freed Palestinians were admitted to Al Najjar Hospital upon their release.

1644 GMT — 142 employees killed in Gaza since October 7 – UNRWA

The UN Palestinian refugee agency has said that 142 employees had been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7.

"In this somber moment, it's hard to wish those celebrating 'Merry Christmas', with ongoing loss, grief and destruction," the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) said in a statement.

"Our teams are doing the impossible to help people in need. We mourn the loss of more UNRWA colleagues killed in Gaza, now 142, the majority with their families," it added.

1616 GMT — Dual-national Israelis fight alongside army in Gaza despite outrage in France, South Africa

The participation of foreign citizens holding Israeli nationality in the war has sparked reactions in recent days in France and South Africa.

"I officially sent a letter to Minister of Justice Eric Dupond-Moretti, asking him to use his authority to intervene so that investigations can be opened regarding 4,000 French people present on the front lines in Gaza within the Israeli army," French lawmaker Thomas Portes wrote on Wednesday on X.

"In the event of war crimes, I request their (the French citizens) presentation before French justice, and I will refer the matter to the public prosecutor under Article 40. Regarding the war crimes committed by the Israeli army in Gaza and the (occupied) West Bank alike, it is unacceptable for French citizens to participate in them," he said.

1533 GMT — US missile targeting Yemen's naval forces exploded near Gabon-owned ship: Houthis

A spokesperson for Yemen's Houthi group said that a missile from a US battleship targeting Yemen's naval forces in the Red Sea exploded near a Gabon-owned ship.

The Gabon-owned ship was travelling from Russia, Mohammed Abdul Salam said.

"The Red Sea will be a burning arena if the US and its allies continue their bullying. Countries bordering the Red Sea must realise the reality of the dangers that threaten their national security," he added.

1442 GMT — WHO chief decries 'decimation' of Gaza health system

The head of the World Health Organization said the health system in Gaza was being destroyed and reiterated his call for a ceasefire.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also hailed Gaza's medical workers who continue their work under increasingly dire circumstances. "The decimation of the Gaza health system is a tragedy," he posted on X, formerly Twitter. "We persist in calling for CeasefireNow."

"In the face of constant insecurity and inflows of wounded patients, we see doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers and more continue striving to save lives," Tedros said.

1432 GMT — Israeli army rounds up more Palestinians in occupied West Bank

Israeli forces have rounded up 10 more Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, taking the tally to 4,695 since October 7, according to prisoners' affairs groups.

One woman was among those arrested during military raids carried out in the cities of Hebron, Bethlehem, Nablus and Jenin, the Commission for Detainees and Ex-Prisoners' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.

The figure of detainees does not include those arrested by Israeli forces in Gaza, the statement said.

1432 GMT — Nearly 8,000 Palestinian fighters killed: Israeli army

Israeli army has killed some 8,000 Palestinian fighters in the Gaza war, a military spokesperson said, adding that the figure was drawn from accounts of targeted strikes and battlefield tallies as well as the interrogations of captives.

1342 GMT — Palestinian Islamic Jihad delegation in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials

A delegation from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement, a group allied with Hamas, has arrived in Cairo for talks with Egyptian security officials, a member of the group with knowledge of the talks said.

The talks will centre on "ways to end the Israeli aggression on our people," said the official from the group.

1324 GMT — Israeli troops push into southern Gaza

The Israeli army indicated its forces were close to having operational control in north Gaza, after weeks of intense fighting.

"Now, we focus our efforts against Hamas in southern Gaza," military spokesman Jonathan Conricus said.

Fighting has raged in Khan Younis, the birthplace of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas's leader in Gaza and the man Israel holds most responsible for the attack on October 7. The Israeli army said it had attacked about 200 targets in Gaza over the past day.

1237 GMT — UN resolution may do little for Gaza without truce: UNRWA

The UN Palestinian refugee agency warned that a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza may do little without a truce.

"It is welcome, but only time will tell what real difference this resolution is going to make, and it needs to increase the humanitarian assistance into Gaza," Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), told The New York Times.

"Without a truce, the UN resolution may do little for Gaza," she added.

1237 GMT — 2 more journalists killed in in Gaza

Two more journalists were killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, bringing death toll to 103 since October 7, says government media office.

In a statement, the media office identified the two victims as Mohamed Younis al Zaytouniyah, a sound engineer for the Palestinian Al Rai Radio, and Mohamed Abdel-Khaleq Al Af, a photojournalist for the local Al Rai Agency, who lost their lives in Israeli attacks in the northern Gaza.

The office said that Ahmed Jamal Al Madhoun, deputy director of the Palestinian Al Rai Agency and director of the Visual Media Department, was killed in an Israeli attack in the northern Gaza.

1235 GMT — Israeli bombing is indiscriminate, targets both Muslims and Christians: Palestinian president

The Israeli bombing is indiscriminate and targets both Muslims and Christians, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said while drawing parallels between the Israel's intensified attacks on Gaza and the 1948 Nakba.

"Christ's birthplace, Bethlehem (Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank), is experiencing unprecedented sadness," President Abbas said.

On the occasion of the Christmas holiday, Abbas said Israeli forces brutally bombed the Evangelical Baptist Hospital, Orthodox Cultural Center, Greek Orthodox Church Hall, and Holy Family Church, as well as mosques, schools, and hospitals in Gaza, and that "these attacks did not differentiate between a Muslim and a Christian," according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

1205 GMT — Death toll in Gaza climbs to 20,424

At least 166 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza in the last 24 hours, bringing the overall death to 20,424, mostly women and children, since October 7, the health ministry in the enclave said.

A ministry statement added that another 384 Palestinians were injured, raising the number of injuries to 54,036 people.

Israeli forces also killed a child in a hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. "A 13-year-old child, displaced, has been martyred at the PRCS Al Amal Hospital, in Khan Younis due to being shot by an Israeli drone while inside the hospital building," the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said in a statement.

1202 GMT — Macron expresses 'great concern' about Gaza Catholic parish

Macron spoke with Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa by telephone to discuss the "tragic situation" there since the outbreak of Israeli war on Gaza on October 7.

"Hundreds of civilians of all confessions... have been living under bombs and bullets for more than two months while worshippers and nuns take care of the sick, elderly or disabled," Macron was quoted as saying.

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said on December 16 that an Israeli soldier shot dead "in cold blood" a Christian mother and daughter on the grounds of Gaza's only Catholic church. Macron offered his condolences for the parishioners who he said were killed "shamefully", a week after Pope Francis deplored their deaths.

1025 GMT — Gaza war exacting 'heavy price': Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the war in Gaza was exacting a "very heavy price" as the toll of Israeli soldiers killed in fighting with Hamas mounted.

"This is a difficult morning, after a very difficult day of fighting in Gaza... The war is exacting a very heavy price... but we have no choice but to keep fighting," he said in a statement, after the army announced that 15 soldiers had been killed in the Palestinian territory since Friday.

1025 GMT — Israeli forces kill child in hospital in Gaza's Khan Younis

Israeli forces have killed a child in a hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.

"A 13-year-old child, displaced, has been martyred at the PRCS Al-Amal Hospital, in Khan Younis due to being shot by an Israeli drone while inside the hospital building," the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said in a statement.

In a separate incident, three other Palestinians were killed and others were injured in an Israeli raid that targeted a house in the Japanese neighbourhood, west of Khan Younis, medical sources told Anadolu.

1002 GMT — Military acts based on Israeli calculations: Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed reports that the United States had convinced Israel not to expand its military activity during a weekly cabinet meeting.

"I have seen false publications claiming that the US prevented and is preventing us from operational operations in the region," Netanyahu said, without elaborating on the reports.

"This is not true. Israel is a sovereign state. Our decisions in the war are based on our operational considerations, and I will not elaborate on that."

0601 GMT — One more journalist killed in northern Gaza

One more journalist was killed in Gaza as a result of Israeli attacks, the government media office said in a statement, bringing the total number of journalists killed in the Palestinian enclave since October 7 to 101.

"Fellow journalist, martyr Ahmed Jamal Al Madhoun, deputy director of the Palestinian Al-Rai Agency and director of the Visual Media Department, rose to greatness as a martyr at the hands of Israeli treachery in the North Gaza Governorate," the media office said.

0540 GMT — 200 killed in 24 hours of Israeli strikes on Gaza: officials

Israeli strikes in Gaza killed more than 200 people in 24 hours, Palestinian authorities said.

Despite growing calls for restraint and for more aid to reach war-stricken Palestinians, Israel showed little sign of modulating its 11-week-old "Operation Swords of Iron."

Fighting is now centred on Gaza City and the southern city of Khan Younis.

0130 GMT — Israel impedes aid as hunger spreads in Gaza

Palestine say the Israeli government is attempting to obstruct the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2720 concerning the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Israel had turned Gaza into a "mass grave for civilians." It condemned Israel's escalation of violence and genocide against Palestinian civilians, "in the strongest terms."

The statement said that Israel's escalation of tension in the region is "defiance to the international public," indicating that "Israel's intensification of attacks across all regions from the northern to the southern Gaza, destruction of all settlement squares, and targeting of all components of human life in the northern Gaza" clearly is a demonstration of that fact.

2200 GMT — Biden, Netanyahu discussed Israeli military's objectives in Gaza

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed Israel's war on Gaza, including its "objectives and phasing," the White House said.

Biden "emphasised the critical need to protect the civilian population including those supporting the humanitarian aid operation, and the importance of allowing civilians to move safely away from areas of ongoing fighting," the White House said in a statement.

"The leaders discussed the importance of securing the release of all remaining hostages," the White House said.

2100 GMT — Foreign ministers of Türkiye, UAE discuss situation in Gaza

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his counterpart from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) spoke over the phone and discussed the situation in Gaza, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.


Fidan and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed the draft resolution adopted by the UN Security Council regarding the current situation in Gaza and humanitarian aid.

Underlining the importance of making maximum efforts to carry out humanitarian aid activities in the most effective way, Fidan said the ultimate goal is to ensure permanent peace in the region and the establishment of a Palestinian state.

For our live updates from Saturday, December 23, click here.