Hamas has claimed an Israeli airstrike killed 70 people in a central Gaza refugee camp.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said the strike hit the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the centre of the Gaza Strip. It is an area inhabited by a number of displaced families.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC it was looking into the reports. Media in Israel and surrounding Arab nations say Egpyt, which borders the Strip, has put forward a proposal for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Footage emerging online show people rushed from outside Maghazi to the nearby Al-Aqsa hospital. Children’s faces can reportedly be seen bloodied.
The Gaza health ministry claims three houses were hit in the attack late on Christmas Eve. According to ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra, a densely populated residential block was destroyed.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society said “intense” airstrikes have led to the closure of main roads between Maghazi and Gaza’s other two refugee camps, Al-Bureij and Al-Nuseirat. This it says is “hindering the work of ambulances and rescue teams”.
The IDF said it had “reports of an incident in the Maghazi camp”. It said: “”Despite the challenges posed by Hamas terrorists operating within civilian areas in Gaza, the IDF [Israeli Defense Forces] is committed to international law including taking feasible steps to minimize harm to civilians.”
Hamas claims more than 20,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in the Strip since October 7. That was when Hamas and other Palestinian groups launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing 1,200 and taking around 240 people hostage.
Meanwhile Israel claimed a dozen soldiers were killed in Gaza since Friday. This means 154 IDF soldiers have died in the ground offensive.
Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel has “no choice” but to keep fighting. Despite Egpyt’s proposal for a three-part ceasefire between the two groups.
Egypt has suggested an initial week-long ceasefire for humanitarian aid, followed by a week where Hamas would release female hostages in the return for prisoners and corpses.
The third stage would be a month and see Israel withdrawing from the strip. Indirect negotiations would be held in Egypt with Qatari and US participation.
