Weekend of combat in Gaza kills 15 Israeli soldiers
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza — Fifteen Israeli soldiers were killed in combat in Gaza over the weekend, the Israeli military said Sunday, while tentative efforts continued on a deal for another exchange of hostages for Palestinians held by Israel.
“The war exacts a very heavy price from us, but we have no choice but to continue fighting,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
As Christmas Eve fell, smoke still rose over Gaza from the fighting, while Bethlehem in the West Bank was hushed, its holiday celebrations called off.
The military says 154 Israeli troops have been killed since the beginning of the ground offensive, which was sparked when Hamas-led terrorists stormed communities in southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 and taking 240 hostage.
Israelis still largely stand behind the country’s stated goals of crushing Hamas’ governing and military capabilities and releasing the remaining 129 captives.
On Sunday, the Israeli military said it had completed the dismantling of Hamas’ underground headquarters in northern Gaza, part of an operation to take down the vast tunnel network and kill off top commanders that Israeli leaders have said could take months.
Efforts toward negotiations continued. On Sunday, the head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, arrived in Egypt for talks.
The terrorist group, which also took part in the Oct. 7 attack, said it was prepared to consider releasing hostages only after fighting ends. Hamas’ top leader Ismail Haniyeh traveled to Cairo for talks days earlier.
The war has devastated parts of Gaza, killed roughly 20,400 Palestinians and displaced almost all of the territory’s 2.3 million people, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas terrorists.
Israel has come under international criticism for the civilian death toll but it blames Hamas, citing the terrorists’ use of crowded residential areas and tunnels. Israel has launched thousands of airstrikes since Oct. 7.
Israel also faces allegations of mistreating Palestinian men and teenage boys detained in homes, shelters, hospitals and elsewhere during the offensive. It has denied abuse allegations and said those without links to terrorists are quickly released.
The United Nations Security Council has passed a resolution calling for the speedy delivery of humanitarian aid for Palestinians and the release of all the hostages, but not for a cease-fire.
But it was not immediately clear how and when deliveries of food, medical supplies and other aid would accelerate. Trucks enter through two crossings — Rafah, and Kerem Shalom on the border with Israel. Wael Abu Omar, a spokesman for the Palestinian Crossings Authority, said 93 aid trucks entered Gaza through Rafah on Saturday.
The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, reiterated U.N. calls for a humanitarian cease-fire, adding on social media that “the decimation of the Gaza health system is a tragedy.”
Amid concerns about a wider regional conflict, U.S. Central Command reported that a patrol ship in the Red Sea on Saturday shot down four drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, a while two Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles were fired into international shipping lanes, and a drone struck an Indian-flagged crude oil tanker, the Saibaba, causing no injuries.
The Iran-backed Houthis say their attacks are aimed at Israel-linked ships in an effort to stop the Israeli offensive in Gaza. A Houthi spokesman, Mohammed Abdul-Salam, said a U.S. warship fired at a drone in the Red Sea.
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Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Jack Jeffery in London contributed to this report.