The deaths take the number of Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) killed to 152 since its ground operation began on 20 October.

Some 480 IDF personnel have died since Hamas launched its incursion on 7 October.

The Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry said on Sunday at least 68 Palestinians were killed following an Israeli air strike that hit central Gaza's Maghazi refugee camp.

This weekend's deaths represent some of the bloodiest days of the conflict so far - and suggest Hamas is still as committed to its cause as it was when it started.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement on Sunday the war was extracting a heavy price but added: "We are doing everything to safeguard the lives of our warriors."

He said his country's forces are going deeper into the Gaza Strip and that they will fight on until "total victory" over Hamas.

The IDF released further details of an operation to dismantle a network of Hamas tunnels, where the bodies of five hostages - Warrant Officer Ziv Dado, Sergeant Ron Sherman, Corporal Nik Beizer, Eden Zacharia, and Elia Toledano - were recovered.

Many Hamas fighters were killed and hundreds of weapons found, the IDF said, in what it said was the group's northern headquarters in Gaza.

The tunnel network, which included two levels, passed beneath a school and a hospital and was connected to a shaft leading to the residence of the Commander of Hamas' Northern Brigade, Ahmad Andur, the IDF said.

Hamas said on Saturday it had lost contact with a group responsible for five Israeli hostages being held captive in the Gaza Strip due to Israeli bombardment.

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, 20,424 people have been killed in Gaza since 7 October, including 166 this weekend.

Figures from the World Programme recently revealed that a quarter of Gaza's population is starving, with the vast majority also displaced.

In Israel, 1,200 people have been killed and 240 were taken hostage by Hamas and other militant groups. The Israeli military is still fighting for the release of 129 remaining captives.

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.

Israeli forces have said they are expanding their offensive in the north and south, and troops are fighting in "complex areas" in Khan Younis, the territory's second-largest city, where Israel believes Hamas leaders are hiding.

Heavy Israeli bombardment and gunfire were reported on Sunday morning in the town of Jabaliya, an area north of Gaza City that Israel had previously claimed to control.

Meanwhile, the IDF said on Sunday it responded to "numerous launches toward the area of Keren Naftali, northern Israel".

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, Israel continued to target Hezbollah targets inside Lebanon, where one of the 14 IDF soldiers was killed over the weekend.