Dozens killed in Israeli airstrike; Bethlehem Christmas quiet this year: Live updates

Israel's push into Gaza to root out Hamas militants continued to exact a bloody toll on both sides, just days after the United Nations approved a weakened resolution calling for aid to the embattled region.

Roughly 70 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza on Sunday, and the fatalities included at least a dozen women and seven children, according to early hospital figures. The strike impacted the Maghazi refugee camp east of Deir al-Balah and was condemned by The Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Fifteen Israeli troops, meanwhile, were killed over the weekend, the Israeli military said Sunday.

The mounting number of deaths came as a pall hung over Bethlehem, where the war led to Christmas Eve celebrations being canceled. “Our message every year on Christmas is one of peace and love, but this year it’s a message of sadness, grief and anger in front of the international community with what is happening and going on in the Gaza Strip,” Bethlehem Mayor Hana Haniyeh said.

Israeli ground forces continued to press on Sunday, expanding their offensive in northern and southern Gaza in Khan Younis, Gaza’s second-largest city, Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet on Sunday that the nation had "no choice but to continue fighting" no matter the price. “We are continuing with all the force, until the end, until victory, until we reach all our goals.”

Israel began its siege of Gaza three weeks after Hamas militants' brutal attack on Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, which left 1,200 people dead. Of the 240 people taken hostage, 129 captives remain after some were released and some died. About 154 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the ground offensive.

The war has shattered the Gaza Strip: About 20,400 Palestinians have been killed. Nearly 85% of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been displaced, and most hospitals are barely functioning. International medical officials warned last week that disease and lack of food are leading to catastrophic conditions.

"Gaza is already experiencing soaring rates of infectious diseases. Over 100 000 cases of diarrhea have been reported since mid-October. Half of these are among young children under the age of 5," the World Health Organization said.

Deadly hit: Israeli strikes kill at least 90 people, Gaza officials say

Developments:

∎ During a Sunday evening mass, Pope Francis referenced Bethlehem, which holds a special place in Catholic doctrine as the place of Jesus' birth. "Our hearts are in Bethlehem," he said during the service at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. "The Prince of Peace is once more rejected by the futile logic of war."

∎ An Iranian drone hit a chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean, the Pentagon confirmed in a statement to USA TODAY on Sunday. There were no casualties, and no U.S. Navy vessels were in the vicinity, the Pentagon said. Saturday's attack on the Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned and Netherlands-operated chemical tanker was the seventh Iranian strike on commercial shipping since 2021, the Pentagon said. The incident comes amid escalating tensions in the area since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war.

∎ Demonstrators in Tel Aviv packed streets Saturday night protesting the government and demanding lsrael do more to bring the hostages home. Many chanted “Bibi, Bibi, we don’t want you anymore,” referring to Netanyahu by his nickname.

A US doctor's anguish: His family trapped in Gaza is 'barely staying alive'

UN official pleads again for a humanitarian cease-fire

Filippo Grandi, the U.N. high commissioner for refugees, on Sunday echoed pleas by other top U.N. officials for a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza to enable the delivery of aid and to help free hostages.

“For aid to reach people in need, hostages to be released, more displacement to be avoided and above all the devastating loss of lives to stop a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza is the only way forward,” Grandi wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

A much delayed U.N. Security Council resolution approved Friday dropped language from an earlier draft that called for an "urgent cessation of hostilities" to appease the U.S., which vetoed two previous resolutions. Instead, the resolution calls for "urgent steps to immediately allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access, and also for creating the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities.”

The final resolution passed after the U.S. abstained from the vote.

It was not clear when aid deliveries would pick up steam after the U.N. resolution. Trucks enter through two crossings – Rafah on the border with Egypt and Kerem Shalom on the border with Israel. On Friday, fewer than 100 trucks entered, the U.N. said. And both crossings were closed on Saturday.

As international calls for a truce continued to grow, President Joe Biden spoke with Netanyahu on Saturday. He, said he did not ask for a cease-fire, while Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister “made clear that Israel would continue the war until achieving all its goals.”

Christmas Eve canceled in Bethlehem

Christmas Eve was silenced in Bethlehem on Sunday, another grim reminder of the Israel-Hamas war.

Dozens of Palestinian security forces patrolled an empty Manger Square in the West Bank town. The biblical birthplace of Jesus would normally be a vibrant scene of jubilant tourists, Christmas lights, marching bands and festive music.

“This year, without the Christmas tree and without lights, there’s just darkness,” said Brother John Vinh, a Franciscan monk from Vietnam who has lived in Jerusalem for six years.

Local officials say over 70 hotels in Bethlehem have been shuttered, leaving thousands of people unemployed. There were few foreign visitors and only a handful of shops were open Sunday.

“We can’t justify putting out a tree and celebrating as normal, when some people (in Gaza) don’t even have houses to go to,” said Ala’a Salameh, one of the owners of Afteem Restaurant, a family-owned falafel restaurant near Manger Square.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israel Hamas war live updates: Dozens killed in Israeli airstrike