Israel continues bombing Gaza amid mounting death toll

This photo released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Dec. 25, 2023 shows Israeli troops conducting military operations in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis.(Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Israel continued Sunday bombing targets across the Gaza Strip, with both Palestinian and Israeli sides reporting mounting death tolls.

The Israeli military said its ground, aerial, and naval forces struck approximately 200 locations in Gaza over the past day. At least 166 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza in the last 24 hours, bringing the overall death toll to 20,424, a majority of whom were women and children, the Gaza-based Health Ministry updated Sunday.

A total of 15 Israeli soldiers were confirmed killed in Gaza over the past weekend, said the Israeli army, bringing to 154 the overall number of slain Israeli soldiers during its ground offensive in Gaza, which was launched in retaliation for a Hamas assault on Oct. 7 that left about 1,200 Israelis died and more than 200 captivated.

Despite acknowledging the "very heavy price" on soldiers' lives during the ongoing 78-day offensive, in a video statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared, "We are intensifying the war in the Gaza Strip."

He cautioned that the war would not end soon, stating, "It will take time." Netanyahu reiterated that the conclusion of the war is contingent on when Hamas is eliminated and the hostages still held in Gaza are released.

Air strikes were carried out also in Jabalia and Sheikh Radwan in northern Gaza. In Khan Younis, the largest city in southern Gaza, troops were "expanding their operational hold and killing terrorists in close-quarters combat," the Israeli military said in a statement.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been wounded since the conflict began, thousands of others are believed to be buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings, and almost all the enclave's population is displaced, as reported by the Gaza-based Health Ministry.

Acute food insecurity has been reported too, and according to the ministry, over 90 percent of the population, or about 2.08 million people, were classified in hunger of "Phase 3 or above," meaning they were at hunger levels ranging from "Crisis" to "Catastrophe."

Speaking at a weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu denied media reports saying Washington prevented Israel from taking military action in Lebanon. "Israel is a sovereign state. Our decisions in the war are based on our operational considerations, and I will not expand further. The decision on how to use our forces is independently made by the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), but nobody else," he said.

This photo released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Dec. 25, 2023 shows Israeli troops conducting military operations in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis.(Xinhua)

This photo released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Dec. 25, 2023 shows Israeli troops conducting military operations in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis.(Xinhua)

This photo released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Dec. 25, 2023 shows Israeli troops conducting military operations in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis.(Xinhua)