At least 70 are killed in central Gaza, in one of the war's deadliest strikes

At least 70 people were killed in Gaza in one of the deadliest strikes of the war, health officials said Sunday, while the number of Israeli soldiers killed in combat over the weekend rose to 15.

At least 70 people were killed in Gaza in one of the deadliest strikes of the war, health officials said Sunday, while the number of Israeli soldiers killed in combat over the weekend rose to 15.

Associated Press journalists at a nearby hospital watched frantic Palestinians carry the dead, including a baby, and wounded following the strike on the Maghazi refugee camp east of Deir al-Balah. One bloodied young girl looked stunned while her body was checked for broken bones.

Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said the toll was likely to rise. The Israeli military had no immediate comment.

"We were all targeted," said Ahmad Turokmani, who lost several family members including his daughter and grandson. "There is no safe place in Gaza anyway."

As Christmas Eve fell, smoke rose over the besieged territory, while in the West Bank Bethlehem was hushed, its holiday celebrations called off. In neighboring Egypt, tentative efforts continued on a deal for another exchange of hostages for Palestinians held by Israel.

The war has devastated parts of Gaza, killed roughly 20,400 Palestinians and displaced almost all of the territory's 2.3 million people.

The mounting death toll among Israeli troops -- 154 since the ground offensive began -- could erode public support for the war, which was sparked when Hamas-led militants stormed communities in southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 and taking 240 hostage.