After a deadly weekend, Israeli strikes continued on Monday, December 25, on the besieged Gaza Strip. The war between Israel and Hamas, which entered its 80th day on Monday, was sparked by an attack by the Palestinian terror movement on October 7 on Israeli soil. About 1140,250 people were killed in the attack, according to an AFP tally based on the latest Israeli toll, and some 129 were kidnapped and taken to Gaza. Of those hostages, <> are still in Gaza, according to the army.
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20,424 dead in Gaza, according to Hamas
Early Monday, a shelling killed 12 people near the small village of Al-Zawaida in the center, according to the Hamas Health Ministry. According to the same source, ten people from the same family were killed in an Israeli strike on their home in the Jabaliya camp in the northern Gaza Strip. In Khan Younis, strikes killed at least 18 people. AFP could not independently verify the figures.
After the attack, Israel vowed to "annihilate" Hamas, pounding Palestinian territory, besieging it, and conducting a ground operation there since October 27. Hamas on Sunday reported 20,424 deaths since the Israeli bombardment began.
Israel investigates strike in refugee camp
The Israeli military said on Monday it was "investigating" a strike on Sunday in the al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. According to Hamas' Health Ministry, at least 70 people were killed in the strike.
156 Israeli soldiers killed
On Monday morning, the Israeli army announced the death of two more soldiers, bringing to 156 the number of its casualties since the start of the ground offensive in the Palestinian territory on October 27.
"We are paying a very heavy price for the war, but we have no choice but to continue fighting," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday.
Gaza's health system 'decimated'
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Sunday lamented the "decimation" of the health system in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, and reiterated his urgent call for a ceasefire. "The decimation of Gaza's health system is a tragedy," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X (ex-Twitter).