Israeli air strike kills at least 70 Palestinians in central Gaza refugee camp -Palestinian health officials

(Updates death toll, adds statements from Israeli military and from Hamas) CAIRO, Dec 24 (Reuters) - The death toll following an Israeli air strike that hit central Gaza's Maghazi refugee camp has risen to 70 people, Palestinian health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said on Sunday, adding that the death toll was likely to climb.

(Updates death toll, adds statements from Israeli military and from Hamas) CAIRO, Dec 24 (Reuters) -

The death toll following an Israeli air strike that hit central Gaza's Maghazi refugee camp has risen to 70 people, Palestinian health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said on Sunday, adding that the death toll was likely to climb. "What is happening at the Maghazi camp is a massacre that is being committed on a crowded residential square," al-Qidra said.

Israel's military spokesperson's office said it is looking into the report. The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which runs Gaza, issued a statement calling the air strike "a horrific massacre" and said it was "a new war crime."