Eight Israeli soldiers have been killed fighting in Gaza, the Israeli military has said.
The deaths take the number of Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) killed to 154 since its ground operation in Gaza began on 20 October.
Some 480 IDF personnel have died since Hamas launched its incursion on 7 October.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to US President Joe Biden on Saturday to discuss the “objectives and phasing” of Israel’s military operation in Gaza.
Mr Netanyahu stressed that “Israel will pursue the war until all of its objectives are fully met”, his office said. US officials, however, believe the next phase of fighting will be of lower intensity, focusing more specifically on the Hamas leadership and its infrastructure.
It comes after the UN fell short of calling for a humanitarian ceasefire on Friday, instead passing a resolution for increased aid to be transported into Gaza.
The US abstained from the vote, as Israel’s most powerful ally. The resolution sparked criticism from both Israel and Hamas.
According to the Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry, 20,258 people have been killed in Gaza since 7 October.
Image: Gazans search the rubble after an attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp on Saturday
Figures from the World Programme recently revealed that a quarter of Gaza’s population is starving, with the vast majority also displaced.
In Bethlehem, the devastation caused by the conflict has been reflected in the traditional Nativity scene in Manger Square, with characters surrounded by barbed wire and rubble.
A UN official criticised Israel on Saturday after it issued another evacuation order, telling people in Gaza to move towards Deir al Balah, despite it being hit this week.
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‘Quiet and unprecedented’ in Bethlehem
Image: Bethlehem’s Nativity scene in Manger Square is surrounded by rubble and barbed wire
The conflict has spread to the Red Sea this month with Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacking Israeli-affiliated commercial ships.
Vessels have been forced to re-route away from the Suez Canal, adding an average 10 days to their journeys to Europe.
On Saturday, Iranian media reported Israeli military had struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage after a new Banksy artwork was removed. The elusive artist confirmed the work - a traffic stop sign featuring military drones - was his in a social media post shortly after midday on Friday. Less than half an hour later, two men were pictured ripping down the sign on which the work was displayed at the intersection of […]
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