Israeli strikes in Gaza kill at least 22 as Vatican envoy visits Christians for pre-Christmas Mass
Palestinian medical officials say Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip have killed at least 22 people, including five children
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Sunday killed at least 22 people, including five children, Palestinian medical officials said, while Gaza's small Christian community celebrated a pre-Christmas Mass.
Israeli authorities allowed a rare Gaza visit by the leader of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, for the Mass while the ever-present buzz of Israeli drones was heard outside.
One of the latest Israeli strikes hit a school housing displaced people in Gaza City and killed at least eight, including three children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Israel's military said it struck Hamas militants sheltering there.
A strike on a home in the central city of Deir al-Balah late Saturday killed at least eight, including three women and two children, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies. Another six people were killed in separate strikes on Sunday, according to local hospitals.
