At least 60 killed by Israeli strike in central Gaza, Palestinian officials say

Dozens of people 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 spokespersonAshraf al-Qidra said at least 60 people were killed and that the toll was likely to rise.

An Associated Pressreporter 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 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, according to a tally by Israeli officials.

The war has devastated parts of Gaza, killed roughly 20,400 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza,and displaced almost all of the territory's 2.3 million people.The ministry, considered credible by the United Nationsbut which does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths,said 166 people were killed in the coastal enclave over the past day.

Israelis still largely stand behind the country's stated goals of crushing Hamas's governing and military capabilities and releasing the remaining 129 captives. That's despite rising international pressure against Israel's offensive, as well asthe soaring death toll and unprecedented suffering among Palestinians.

'No choice but to continue fighting'

"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, Israeli President Isaac Herzog appealed for the country to remain united. "This moment is a test. We will not break nor blink," he said.

There has been widespread anger against the Israeligovernment, which many criticize for failing to protect civilians on Oct. 7 and promoting policies that allowed Hamas to gain strength over the years. Netanyahu has avoided accepting responsibility for the military and policy failures.

"Over time, the public will find it hard to ignore the heavy price paid, as well as the suspicion that the aims that were loudly heralded are still far from being attained, and that Hamas is showing no signs of capitulating in the near future," wrote Amos Harel, military affairs commentator for the Haaretz newspaper.

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The Israeli military said it had completed the dismantling of Hamas'sunderground 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.

Efforts toward negotiations continued. The head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, arrived in Egypt for talks. The militant group, which also took part in the Oct. 7 attack, said it was prepared to consider releasing hostages only after fighting ends. Hamas'stop leader, Ismail Haniyeh, travelled to Cairo for talks days earlier.

Bombardment across Gaza

Israel's offensive has been one of the most devastating military campaigns in recent history. More than two-thirds of the 20,000 Palestinians killed have been women and children, according to the Health Ministry.

Elsewhere, the Palestinian Red Crescentsaid a 13-year-old boy was shot and killed in an Israeli drone attack while inside Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, a part of Gaza where Israel's military believes Hamas leaders are hiding.

An Israeli strike overnight hit a house in a refugee camp west of the city of Rafah, on Gaza's border with Egypt. At least two men were killed, according to Associated Press journalists in the hospital where the bodies were taken.

At least two people were killed and six others wounded when a missile stuck a building in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.

And Palestinians reported heavy Israeli bombardment and gunfire in Jabalia, an area north of Gaza City that Israel had claimed to control. Hamas'smilitary arm said its fighters shelled Israeli troops in Jabalia and Jabalia refugee camp.

Israel faces international criticism for the civilian death toll,but it blames Hamas, citing the militants' use of crowded residential areas and tunnels. Israel has launched thousands of airstrikes since Oct. 7. It says it has killed thousands of Hamas militants, without presenting evidence.

Israel also faces allegations of mistreating Palestinian men and teenage boys detained in homes, shelters, hospitals and elsewhere during the offensive. It has denied abuse allegations and said those without links to militants are quickly released.

Speaking to the AP from a hospital bed in Rafah after his release, Khamis al-Burdainy of Gaza City said Israeli forces detained him after tanks and bulldozers partly destroyed his home. He said men were handcuffed and blindfolded.

"We didn't sleep. We didn't get food and water," he said, crying and covering his face.

Another released detainee, Mohammed Salem, from the Gaza City neighbourhood of Shijaiyah, said Israeli troops beat them. "We were humiliated," he said. "A female soldier would come and beat an old man, aged 72 years old."