In a separate development, the director of the Kamal Adwan hospital on the northern edge of Gaza said on Thursday about 50 people, including five of its staff, had been killed in an Israeli strike on a building by the hospital. A paediatrician and two paramedics were among them.

An Israeli attack in northern Gaza Strip killed at least nine Palestinians and injured several others, according to Palestinian media. The report by the WAFA news agency said an airstrike hit homes in Gaza City on Thursday evening.

Israel and Hamas on Wednesday accused each other of obstructing negotiations for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, after Israel withdrew its negotiators from the talks the previous day. Israeli media reported on Wednesday that the refusal by the Palestinian Islamist militia Hamas to hand over a list of the names of the hostages it still holds is hindering progress in the negotiations.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel traded blame on Wednesday (December 25) over their failure to conclude a ceasefire agreement despite progress reported by both sides in past days. Olivia Zollino reports.