A picture taken from southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip on December 21, 2023, shows smoke billowing following Israeli bombardment in the Palestinian territory amid ongoing battles with the Palestinian Hamas militant group. (PHOTO / AFP)

GAZA - At least 70 Palestinians were killed on Sunday in an Israeli airstrike on the al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, reported the state-run Palestine TV.

Ashraf Al-Qedra, spokesman for the Gaza-based Health Ministry, said in a statement that the death toll is likely to rise as the airstrike hit a crowded residential area. He added that Israeli forces are bombing the central region's main roads between camps, which obstructs ambulances and civil vehicles from reaching targeted locations.

Local sources told Xinhua that most of the killed were women and children, and it is currently difficult for local hospitals to receive more injured people.

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"

The sources added that in addition to the al-Maghazi refugee camp, the Israeli army also attacked central Gaza's al-Bureij refugee camp and the southern city of Khan Younis.

Israel continued Sunday bombing targets across the Gaza Strip, with both Palestinian and Israeli sides reporting mounting death tolls.

ALSO READ: Ministry: Palestinian death toll in Gaza climbs to 20,258

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.

Displaced Palestinians cook in a makeshift outdoor kitchen near their tent in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Dec 24, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (PHOTO / GAZA)

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.

ALSO READ: UNSC passes resolution to boost humanitarian aid access to Gaza

Meanwhile, a Palestinian man was killed and several others were wounded Sunday during clashes and chaos at a humanitarian aid distribution center in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources said.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the clashes erupted after hundreds of people rushed to the center, causing stampedes as security forces fired shots to disperse the crowd. They said the relatives of the slain man set fire to the center and a nearby police station and blocked roads with burning tires.

The Follow-Up Committee of the National and Islamic Forces in Gaza, a coalition of factions, issued a statement condemning the incident and stressed the necessity of protecting public property and maintaining law and order. It said that "any transgression or negligence" at this time was unacceptable and served the interests of "the Israeli occupation."

Injured men who were among Palestinians detained by the Israeli military during their operation in the northern Gaza Strip and recently released through the Kerem Shalom crossing, sit in the back of a pikcup truck as they await treatment for injuries at al-Najjar hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on December 24, 2023, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (PHOTO / AFP)

It also urged the security agencies in Gaza to take firm action against anyone who disrupts the security and stability of the Palestinian people.

The Gaza Strip, which is under Israel's relentless attacks and tight blockade, has been experiencing a surge in unrest and insecurity, especially during the delivery and distribution of humanitarian aid, amid complaints of hunger and food shortages.