Israel intensifies military operations, admits to Christmas eve attacks

Israel intensified its air and ground operations on Thursday in the north, center and south of the Gaza Strip, while also admitting to the Christmas eve attacks on the Maghazi refugee camp.

Gaza's Ministry of Health announced that 98 people were killed as a result of bombings of various areas including Beit Lahia, Khan Yunis, and Maghazi.

Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra, spokesman for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, said in a statement, “The death toll from the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has risen to 21,320 dead and 55,603 injured.”

Al-Qudra also called on international institutions to intervene in order to restart the Shifa Medical Complex, noting that the humanitarian and health conditions of the displaced have reached catastrophic levels.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation announced that Israel security officials have admitted to carrying out the air strikes on the Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 24.

The authority quoted the unnamed security official as saying that the Israeli Air Force had opened an investigation into the incident.

The official said: “The attack, in which dozens of civilians were killed, caused severe damage to buildings adjacent to the target of the attack. As part of the investigation, it was found that the type of weapons was not compatible with the nature of the attack, which led to extensive collateral damage.”