Israel-Hamas war: Israel expands ground operations in Gaza

An Israeli airstrike hit the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, killing at least 70 people, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

The ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said the death toll is likely to rise.

Israel's military spokesperson's office told Reuters news agency that it was looking into the report.

The number of casualties could not be independently verified.

The Health Ministry in Gaza reports that over 20,000 people have died since the start of the war with Israel, which began after the militant Islamist group carried out a bloody attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing nearly 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages.

Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by the US, EU, Israel and others.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decried a "very heavy price" of the Gaza war following the deaths of Israeli soldiers in combat over the weekend. The AP news agency reported the death toll has climbed to 15, citing an Israeli military announcement.

"Let's be very clear: this will be a long war," Netanyahu said on Sunday. 

Separately, the Israeli military said it had completed the dismantling of Hamas' underground headquarters in northern Gaza, part of an operation to take down the vast tunnel network used by the organization.

Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters are marching in the streets of Moroccan capital Rabat.

Demonstrators demanded an end to Morocco's ties with Israel and denounced what they called a "war of extermination" in the Gaza Strip.

The march was organized by left-wing groups as well as the Al-Adl wal-Ihsan Islamist group, which is outlawed but tolerated in practice.

Protesters also called for a boycott of brands accused of supporting Israel.

The kingdom established formal ties with Israel in 2020, and in return Washington recognized Morocco's sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara. Israel recognized Moroccan sovereignty in the region this year.

Morocco's government has officially condemned Israel and accused it of "flagrant violations of international and human rights," but has shown no sign of questioning its normalization of diplomatic ties.

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, has led a Christmas procession to the city of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.

The procession was much smaller than in previous years, with churches canceling decorations and festivities over the war between Israel and Hamas.

Bethlehem is usually visited by tens of thousands of pilgrims during the Christmas period and 70% of the town's economy is provided by tourism.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the offensive against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza was exacting a "very heavy price," as the number of Israeli soldiers killed in fighting reached 153.

"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.

Netanyahu said Israel would continue to fight against Hamas, listed as a terrorist group in several countries, with "full force until the end."

The updated death toll was announced hours earlier by the army, including 14 soldiers who were killed in Gaza since Friday.

At least 20,424 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory of Gaza since the start of the war with Israel on October 7, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said Sunday.

The toll included 166 deaths in the past 24 hours, it said.

The Ministry added that the total number of injuries had reached 54,036, including 384 hurt over the previous 24 hours.

The Israel Defense Force says it is expanding its ground operation in the Gaza Strip as it seeks to eliminate the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Israeli troops were engaged in “complex battles in densely populated areas,” which would allow them to further penetrate Hamas strongholds.

Hagari said Israel's forces have destroyed or confiscated about 30,000 explosive devices, including anti-tank missiles and rockets owned by Hamas, which the United States, the European Union, and others have labeled a terrorist organization.

Israel has achieved almost complete operational control of northern Gaza and is now focusing on the south, Hagari said.

He added that Israel's soldiers were active in the southern Gazan city of Khan Yunis and had tracked down "terrorist infrastructure," especially in underground tunnels.

Hagari added that IDF capacity in Gaza would be reinforced in the coming days as destroying tunnels will be time-consuming.

A drone that struck achemical tanker in the Indian Ocean on Saturday was launched from Iran, the Pentagon said.

"The motor vessel CHEM PLUTO, a Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned and Netherlands-operated chemical tanker was struck at approximately 10 a.m. local time [0600 GMT] today in the Indian Ocean, 200 nautical miles from the coast of India, by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran," a Pentagon spokesperson told Reuters news agency.

A fire that broke out from the drone strike was extinguished. There were no casualties.

The US military "remains in communication with the vessel as it continues toward a destination in India," the Pentagon added.

Several ships in the Red Sea and nearby have been attacked in recent weeks by Iran-backed Houthis in response to the Israel-Hamas war.

Iran has also been accused to targeting vessels in the Middle East.

Israel's military said eight soldiers were killed in the Gaza Strip on Saturday in one of the deadliest days of the conflict.

The ages of those killed ranged from 19 to 30.

The figure brings to 154 the number of Israeli combat losses since ground incursions began on October 27.

Army spokesperson Daniel Hagari wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that six other soldiers were seriously injured in three separate battles.

The US military said it shot down four drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, headed toward a US destroyer in the Red Sea.

"These attacks represent the 14th and 15th attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi militants since Oct. 17," US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

The US Naval Forces Central Command responded to distress calls from two ships under attack, CENTCOM said.

A Norwegian-flagged, owned and operated chemical/oil tanker reported a near miss of a Houthi drone attack, and a Gabon-owned, Indian-flagged crude oil tanker reported being hit by a one-way attack, the post said.

Two Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles were also "fired into international shipping lanes in the Southern Red Sea from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen", it said.

More than a dozen countries have agreed to stage joint patrols in the Red Sea as part of a US-led operation to secure shipping in the region in the wake of the recent attacks.

More than 200 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza in the previous 24 hours, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Saturday.

The ministry said the death toll from Israel's fightback against the Palestinian militant group Hamas over the past 11 weeks had reached 20,258.

Authorities believe that thousands more bodies are trapped under rubble.

Almost all of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been displaced by the fighting.

Israel denies directly targeting civilians and says the war against Hamas is vital to ensure the October 7 attack can never be repeated.

mm/rc (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)