At least 10 killed in Israeli strike on Gaza refugee camp

At least 10 Palestinians, including two children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes on two houses in the Nuseirat refugee camp and Deir Al-Balah city in the central Gaza Strip, medics have said.

Meanwhile, Gaza's health ministry said there was ongoing intense and heavy bombing of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, which it said was occurring in an "unprecedented manner" and without prior warning.

The hospital is one of only three barely operational medical facilities on the northern edge of the enclave, where the Israeli army has been operating since October.

"The bombing is being conducted with explosives and tank fire, directly targeting us while we are present inside the hospital departments," the ministry said.

Pope condemns Israeli strikes on Gaza

Meanwhile, Israel has accused Pope Francis of "double standards" after he condemned the bombing of children in Gaza as "cruelty" following an air strike that killed seven children from one family.

"The Pope's remarks are particularly disappointing as they are disconnected from the true and factual context of Israel's fight against jihadist terrorism - a multi-front war that was forced upon it starting on October 7," an Israeli foreign ministry statement said.

"Enough with the double standards and the singling out of the Jewish state and its people."

Earlier, Pope Francis again condemned Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, a day after an Israeli government minister publicly denounced the pontiff for suggesting the global community should study whether the military offensive there constitutes a genocide of the Palestinian people.

Francis opened his annual Christmas address to the Catholic cardinals who lead the Vatican's various departments with what appeared to be a reference to Israeli airstrikes yesterday that killed at least 25 Palestinians in Gaza.

"Yesterday, children were bombed," said the pope. "This is cruelty. This is not war. I wanted to say this because it touches the heart."

The pope, as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Roman Catholic Church, is usually careful about taking sides in conflicts, but he has recently been more outspoken about Israel's military campaign against Palestinian militant group Hamas.

In book excerpts published last month, the pontiff said some international experts said that "what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide".

Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli sharply criticised those comments in an unusual open letter published by Italian newspaper Il Foglio on Friday.

Mr Chikli said the pope's remarks amounted to a "trivialisation" of the term genocide.

Francis also said that the Catholic bishop of Jerusalem, known as a patriarch, had tried to enter the Gaza Strip on Friday to visit Catholics there, but was denied entry.

The patriarch's office told Reuters it was not able to comment on the pope's remarks about the patriarch being denied entry.

The Israeli military said on Saturday the patriarch's entry had been approved and he would enter Gaza on Sunday, barring any major security issues. Aid from the patriarch's office entered last week, the military said.

16 wounded in Israel after missile fired from Yemen

It comes as a projectile fired from Yemen struck an area in Tel Aviv in Israel early this morning, wounding 16 people, the military and emergency service providers said, the second such attack within days.

Israel's military said it had failed to intercept the projectile, which struck a district of Tel Aviv municipality, forcing many residents to leave their homes.

Yemen's Huthi rebels later claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it used a ballistic missile and was directed at "a military target of the Israeli enemy".

The Iranian-backed Huthis have repeatedly launched missile attacks against Israel in solidarity with Palestinians since the war in Gaza began more than a year ago, most of which have been intercepted.

In return, Israel has struck multiple targets in Yemen, including ports and energy facilities in areas controlled by the Huthis.

"Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in central Israel, one projectile launched from Yemen was identified and unsuccessful interception attempts were made," the Israeli military said on its Telegram channel.

Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel's emergency medical service, said 16 people were lightly injured.

"I was at home and heard a loud explosion. I immediately went to the scene and saw significant blast damage to nearby buildings," one medic was quoted as saying in a statement released by MDA.

"MDA teams provided medical care to 16 individuals who were mildly injured by glass shards from shattered windows in nearby buildings due to the impact of the strike," the statement said.