Dozens were killed in Gaza on Sunday in one of the deadliest strikes of the war, 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 70 people were killed, and the toll was likely to rise. Some of them were children, the AP reports. As Christmas Eve fell, smoke rose over the besieged territory, while in the West Bank, Bethlehem was hushed, its holiday celebrations called off. In neighboring Egypt, tentative efforts continued on a deal for another exchange of hostages 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 militants stormed communities in southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostage. The war has devastated parts of Gaza, killed roughly 20,400 Palestinians and displaced almost all of the territory's 2.3 million people. The Health Ministry in Gaza said 166 people were killed in the coastal enclave over the past day. Israelis still largely stand behind their leaders' stated goals of crushing Hamas' governing and military capabilities and releasing the remaining 129 captives. That's despite rising international pressure against Israel's offensive, and the soaring death toll and unprecedented suffering among Palestinians.
"The war exacts a very heavy price from us, but we have no choice but to continue fighting," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. In a nationally televised speech, President Isaac Herzog appealed for Israel to remain united, per the AP. "This moment is a test. We will not break nor blink," he said. The Israeli military said it had finished dismantling Hamas' underground headquarters in northern Gaza, part of an operation to take down the vast tunnel network and kill off top commanders that Israeli leaders have said could take months. The Palestinian Red Crescent said a 13-year-old boy was shot and killed in an Israeli drone attack while in al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, a part of Gaza where Israel's military believes Hamas leaders are hiding.
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