Airstrikes continue in Gaza through Christmas
Bethlehem mayor: Community grieving deaths and destruction
Refugee workers pulled dozens of bodies from the rubble at the Maghazi refugee camp as the death toll rose to 106 Christmas Day following one of Israel’s deadliest airstrikes on Gaza since the war began.
At least seven children and a dozen women were killed in the bombing, hospital records showed, which leveled a three-story building in central Gaza.
Bethlehem, celebrated as the biblical birthplace of Jesus, was overcast and in a somber mood at a time celebrations would usually fill the streets.
“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.
About 20,400 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, and 1.9 million people have been displaced, according to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees.
The death toll among Israeli troops rose to 156 over the weekend. About 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, and an estimated 240 were taken hostage.
Pope Francis blasted the weapons industry and its “instruments of death” as as he made a Christmas Day appeal for peace between Israelis and Palestinians and around the globe.
Francis delivered his annual “Urbi et Orbi” or “To the City and the World” address from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. The biblical story of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem sent a message of peace, he said. But this year, the town was “a place of sorrow and silence.”
The pope said he grieved the “abominable attack” of Hamas Oct. 7 and called for the release of hostages. He also begged for an end to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and the “appalling harvest of innocent civilians” as he called for humanitarian aid. The conflict, he said, should be resolved “through sincere and persevering dialogue between the parties, sustained by strong political will and the sup
port of the international community.”
Egypt released a proposal to end the Israel-Hamas war with a cease-fire, phased hostage releases and the creation of a Palestinian government of experts to administer Gaza and the West Bank, Egyptian officials told the Associated Press Monday.
The plan calls for the Israeli military to withdraw from Gaza and the Palestinian militants to halt rocket attacks on Israel. It also includes releasing all remaining hostages in exchange for letting all Palestinians out of Israeli prisons. Israel is holding nearly 8,000 Palestinians on security-related charges or convictions, according to Palestinian figures.
The proposal was worked out with officials in Qatar and presented to Israel, Hamas, the United States and European governments, but still appeared preliminary.
Israel’s war cabinet, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was expected to meet later Monday to discuss hostages, among other topics, an Israeli official told the AP. The person would not say if the parties would discuss the Egyptian proposal.
Contributing: The Associated Press.