Israeli air raids in Gaza, humanitarian corridors refused
At least 198 people, including 58 children, have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the latest violence began a week ago. More than 1,300 Palestinians were also wounded
![Palestinian firefighters participate in efforts to put out a fire at a sponge factory after it was hit by Israeli artillery shells, according to witnesses, in the northern Gaza Strip May [Ashraf Abu Amrah/Reuters]](https://tbsnews.net/sites/default/files/styles/big_3/public/images/2021/05/17/gaza_attack_r_0.png)
The Israeli military launched another series of air raids on the Gaza Strip on Monday, hours after Israel's caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks on the Palestinian enclave would rage on.
At least 198 people, including 58 children, have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the latest violence began a week ago. More than 1,300 Palestinians were also wounded., reports the Al Jazeera.
Here are the latest updates-
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Rocket attacks into Israel continue
Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett reporting from West Jerusalem said rocket attacks from Gaza have continued throughout the day.
"The rockets attack from Gaza have continued … there have been several fairly strong barrages … with three-light injuries reported from Southern Israel so far," he said.
US envoy meets President Abbas in Ramallah
United States envoy and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Israeli and Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday, Al Jazeera's Nida Ibrahim reported.
"According to the statement carried by WAFA, the official news agency, it says that President Abbas has urged the US to intervene and pressure Israel to stop what he calls its an aggression on Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip and in occupied East Jerusalem and in all of the occupied West Bank," she said.
Macron, Sisi agree 'absolutely necessary' to end hostilities
French President Emmanuel Macron and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi agreed in Paris that it was "absolutely necessary" to end the hostilities, Macron's office said, adding that he had renewed his support for Egypt's mediation efforts in the conflict.
During a working meeting in Paris, both leaders shared "strong concerns" about the escalation of violence in the Middle East and deplored the numerous civilian victims, the statement said.
Italy expresses 'strong concern' over escalation
Italy's foreign minister met with his Iranian counterpart in Rome, stressing that Israel's response to rockets fired from Gaza should be "proportionate," the ministry said.
Italy's Luigi Di Maio expressed "strong concern" over the escalation of violence in his meeting with Mohammad Javad Zarif, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Zarif is on a European tour and has been in Rome since Sunday, where he has been meeting Italian and Vatican officials, including Pope Francis, to discuss international issues and bilateral relations.
"Condemning the rocket launches from Gaza and hoping that Israel's response would be proportionate, he (Di Maio) reiterated the call for the parties to immediately adopt de-escalation measures and show responsibility," read the statement.
Explosions reported near UNRWA school
Journalist Sami Abu Salem said an Israeli airstrike was heard nearby the a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) school, where many people were taking shelter.
"We are at UNRWA school where we heard an airstrike targeting a house in the south of Gaza city," he said.
"People who are taking this school as a shelter were terrified."
Palestinian solidarity protests takes around the world
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in cities around the world, from New York and London to Cape Town and Auckland, demanding an end to deadly Israeli air raids on the Gaza Strip.
Israel refuses to open humanitarian corridors
UNRWA Director Matthias Schmale said Israel has not allowed humanitarian corridors during the hostilities.
"In 2014 we had humanitarian corridors where we could move between installations and bring material," he told Al Jazeera.
"They are also striking very close to our installation, so the understanding we had in the past such as keeping some distance in our installation is not being respected sufficiently," he said from Gaza.
Asked about reports suggesting that Israel warned the UN agency that it planned to bomb two UN-run schools, Schmale said he had not received any direct warnings so far.
"We have more than 41,000 people in 50 schools, so it would be of great concern if any of these installations were directly hit," he added.
Blinken urges all parties to ensure the protection of civilians
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the US remains greatly concerned over the escalating violence, while the US is working "intensely" behind the scene to bring hostilities to an end.
The US diplomat, speaking at a news conference in Copenhagen, Denmark urged all parties to ensure the protection of civilians and repeated that Israel has an extra burden to do everything in order to avoid civilian casualties.
Blinken also said that he has not seen any Israeli evidence of Hamas operating in the Gaza building that housed residences, offices and media organisations – including Al Jazeera – that Israel hit on Saturday. Blinken says he has asked Israel for justification for the strike.
Gaza hospitals struggle with mounting wounded
Gaza-based journalist Youmna Al Sayed, reported in front of the al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, a few minutes after she said an Israeli missile hit a car a few metres away from her killing three people.
"Hospitals are running out of resources, corridors and all departments, including the administration, are filled with beds and mattresses," she said.
"Electricity comes from one to three hours at best, which is a crisis for hospitals as well while generators are running out of fuel," Al Sayed said, adding that the power crisis triggered a water shortage as well.
Erdogan calls on Pope to keep denouncing Gaza violence
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Pope Francis in a phone call that the international community should impose sanctions on Israel for its actions against the Palestinians, and he urged the pontiff to keep speaking out on the conflict, Erdogan's office said on Monday.
Qatari, Egyptian, Saudi FMs speak with top US envoy
The foreign ministers of Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have discussed the deadly Israeli air attacks on Gaza and Israel-Palestine tensions with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Blinken and Qatar's Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani discussed "efforts to restore calm in Israel and the [occupied] West Bank and Gaza in light of the tragic loss of civilian life", the state department said on Monday.
The Qatari Ministry of Foreign said in a statement that the two officials discussed "the recent Israeli attacks on worshippers at the Al Aqsa Compound and the attack on the besieged Gaza Strip."
Al Thani stressed the "need for urgent action by the international community to stop the repeated brutal Israeli attacks against civilians in Gaza and the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque," it added.
Meanwhile, a growing group of US senators on Sunday called for a ceasefire. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy and Republican Todd Young, the senior members of a foreign relations panel, said in a statement: "As a result of Hamas' rocket attacks and Israel's response, both sides must recognise that too many lives have been lost and must not escalate the conflict further."
Twenty-five other Democratic US senators and two independents issued a separate, similar statement urging an immediate ceasefire.
'Huge loss': Experienced Gaza doctors killed in Israeli attacks
Medical workers and health organisations have decried the killing of two senior doctors – a neurologist and the head of internal medicine at Gaza's largest hospital – in Israeli attacks on the besieged Palestinian enclave.
The deaths further exacerbate a medical staff and expertise shortage in the Gaza Strip, the result of a 14-year-long blockade that prevents freedom of movement, causes dire supply and equipment shortages and hinders medical advancement.
Turkey's Erdogan urges pope to help end Israel's 'massacre'
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Pope Francis to help end what he called Israel's "massacre" of Palestinians, which should be punished with sanctions, his office said.
Erdogan told the pope in a call that "Palestinians will continue to be subjected to a massacre unless the international community punishes Israel… with sanctions", adding that the pope's messages were of "great importance to mobilise the Christian world and the international community."
Human rights groups ask for ICC's investigation over al-Jalaa tower strike
Reporters Without Borders and Amnesty International asked the International Criminal Court to investigate Israel's bombing of a building housing media organizations, including Al Jazeera and the Associated Press, as a possible war crime.
"Deliberately targeting media outlets constitutes a war crime," said RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire.
"By intentionally destroying media outlets, the Israel Defence Forces are not only inflicting unacceptable material damage on news operations. They are also, more broadly, obstructing media coverage of a conflict that directly affects the civilian population," Deloire added.
'It's not enough': Palestine PM urges more concrete actions against Israel
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh urged countries to offer more concrete action, rather than words, against Israel.
"Frankly speaking it's not enough at all to have declarations," said Shtayyeh, speaking from the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, reports Aljazeera.
"The UN must issue a resolution that describes all these actions as illegal and illegitimate against the Palestinian people," he said, calling for sanctions against Israel.
Shtayyeh also urged allies to summon ambassadors of Israel, to halt trade relations with the country and stop aid coming from the US and the EU "until Israel respects human rights".
"Those children who are in blood, who lost their lives before even practicing life.. these are crimes to be punished by international law," he said.
"The license of killing has been renewed for Israel and this must be stopped immediately," he said.
Bosniak leaders slam Netanyahu over tweet
Members of the Bosniak government have criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for including Bosnia as one of the countries supporting Israel's bombardment of Gaza.
"My message to Prime Minister Netanyahu is that Bosnia and Herzegovina does not and cannot support the killings of innocent civilians in Gaza by Israeli military forces," said member of the country's presidency Sefik Dzaferovic, reports Aljazeera.
Bosnia's Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic also commented, saying:
"Bosnia and Herzegovina only supports peace and efforts to reach a just solution for Palestine and Israel. No violence leads to lasting peace and stability. On the contrary. We call for and support an immediate end to attacks in which innocent people are killed," she said on social media.
Israel says it destroyed miles of Hamas tunnels
The Israeli military says it has carried out air raids destroying 15 kilometres (nine miles) of Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip and the homes of nine alleged Hamas commanders.
Israel's military claims to have targeted Hamas leaders and facilities.
Its tweet reads, "That's 9.3 miles that can no longer be used for terror."
Three children injured every hour in Gaza
According to Save the Children, nearly three children have been injured in Gaza every hour since the violence began on Monday.
At least 58 children in the enclave territory and two children in southern Israel were killed in the last week. More than a thousand people have been injured in Gaza, including 366 children.
Jason Lee, Save the Children's Palestine country director urged "How many more families need to lose loved ones before the international community takes action? Where can children run to when airstrikes rain down on their homes?"
Pakistan's foreign minister 'categorically' condemn Israel's attacks
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi expressed his "deepest sorrow and condolences" to Palestinian Ambassador Ahmed Jawad, for the victims of Israeli air attacks.
Following a meeting between the two diplomats, Qureshi "categorically" condemned the Israeli army's "continuous and indiscriminate assaults" in the besieged Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, which have claimed nearly 200 lives, reports Aljazeera.
Pro-Israel, pro-Palestinian protesters clash in Montreal
Pro-Israel, pro-Palestinian protesters clash in Montreal as tension rises amid the Israel violence on Palestine.
After demonstrators clashed, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced what he called "despicable rhetoric and violence," reports Aljazeera.
"Everyone has the right to assemble peacefully and express themselves freely in Canada," he said in a tweet. "But we cannot and will not tolerate antisemitism, Islamophobia, or hate of any kind."
Blackouts in parts of Gaza City after raids damage power line
After Israeli attacks destroyed a line feeding electricity from the city's only power plant to southern areas, the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company says there were power outages in "huge areas" of Gaza City.
The company said in a Facebook post that its crews were attempting to fix the line, adding that it had been fixed more than once since the bombardment began a week ago.
Father reunited with son in Gaza after losing wife, 4 children to Israeli airstrike
An emotional video shows a father reunited with his wounded infant son just hours after searching for his family in a Gaza City refugee camp ravaged by Israeli airstrikes, only to discover that his wife and four children had been killed.
Inside Gaza City's Dar Al-Shifa Hospital, Mohammed Hadidi is heard saying in Arabic as he consoles his son "My darling, my darling, thank God, thank God. Calm down, darling, calm down."
China asks US to adjust its position on Israel-Palestine conflict
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi during the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on Palestine has urged the United States to "adjust" its stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
He said that the Security Council has been unable to talk in one voice on Palestine due to US obstruction, reports Anadolu Agency.
"We call upon the US to shoulder its responsibilities, taking adjust position," said the Chinese top diplomat.
UN Security Council meet on Palestine ends with no concrete outcome
The UN Security Council (UNSC) held an open discussion on the tensions between Israel and Palestine in the aftermath of the former's attacks in Gaza, but no clear results were reached.
This week's third session of the UN's top body came after the US made two attempts to block a joint statement condemning Israel's brutality and calling for a cease-fire, reports Anadolu Agency.
China, Norway, and Tunisia requested the virtual conference, which included Israeli and Palestinian officials.
Blinken discusses Gaza in calls with Qatari, Egyptian, Saudi foreign ministers
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the violence in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza in phone calls with the Qatari, Egyptian and Saudi foreign ministers, the State Department said on Sunday.
Blinken and Qatar's Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani discussed "efforts to restore calm in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza in light of the tragic loss of civilian life", the State Department said.
Muslim states condemn Israel's 'barbaric attacks' against Palestinians
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) called on Sunday for an immediate halt to what it described as Israel's barbaric attacks on Gaza and blamed "systematic crimes" against the Palestinians for hostilities now in their seventh day.
The OIC statement came after a virtual meeting in which Saudi Arabia condemned the violation of the sanctity of Muslim holy sites and evictions of Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem.
The 57-member body accused the United Nations Security Council of inertia. Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei issued a separate statement on Sunday, tweeted by Malaysia's premier, calling for an emergency UN General Assembly meeting.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates called for a ceasefire. The UAE and Bahrain had along with other Arab states last year broken a longstanding taboo in the region by establishing formal ties with Israel, with tacit approval from Gulf power Riyadh.
Israel launches dozens of Gaza strikes as fighting enters second week
Israel launched dozens of air strikes in Gaza and the Hamas militant group kept up its rocket attacks on Israeli cities in fighting that spilled into a second week on Monday.
International calls mounted for a ceasefire, but there was no sign of any imminent end to the most serious hostilities between Israel and Gaza's ruling Hamas Islamists in years.
Roads, security buildings, militants' training camps and houses were bombed in Israeli attacks that seemed to be focused on Gaza City, witnesses said. The sound of explosions echoed in many part of the Palestinian enclave overnight.
The Israeli military said fighter jets struck "terror targets", after rocket barrages from Gaza were fired at the Israeli cities of Beersheba and Ashkelon just after midnight.
There were no immediate reports of casualties on either side of the border.
World concern had already deepened after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza that destroyed several homes on Sunday and which Palestinian health officials said killed 42 people, including 10 children, and persistent rocket attacks on Israeli towns.
Injecting more urgency into Washington's calls for calm, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote on Twitter: "All parties need to deescalate tensions - the violence must end immediately", after he spoke with Egypt's foreign minister about ongoing violence in Israel, Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
At a meeting on Sunday of the UN Security Council, the United States said it has made clear to Israel, the Palestinians and others that it is ready to offer support "should the parties seek a ceasefire".
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's campaign in Gaza was continuing at "full force", and that deterrence had to be achieved to prevent future conflict with Hamas, which rules Gaza.
"We are acting now, for as long as necessary, to restore calm and quiet to you, Israel's citizens. It will take time," Netanyahu said in a televised address after his security Cabinet met on Sunday.
The Gaza Health Ministry put the death toll in the densely populated enclave of 2 million Palestinians at 197, including 58 children and 34 women. Ten people have been killed in Israel, including two children, Israeli authorities say.
Hamas began its rocket assault last Monday after weeks of tensions over a court case to evict several Palestinian families in East Jerusalem, and in retaliation for Israeli police clashes with Palestinians near the city's Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest site, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
SUSTAINED CALM
US President Joe Biden said his administration is working with all parties towards achieving a sustained calm.
"We also believe Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live in safety and security and enjoy equal measure of freedom, prosperity and democracy," he said in a pretaped video aired at an event marking the Muslim Eid holiday on Sunday.
In New York, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council that hostilities in Israel and Gaza were "utterly appalling" and called for an immediate end to fighting.
He said the United Nations was "actively engaging all sides toward an immediate ceasefire" and urged them "to allow mediation efforts to intensify and succeed." UN envoys have helped to mediate past truces between Israel and Hamas.
Washington, a strong ally of Israel, has been isolated at the United Nations over its objection to a public statement by the Security Council on the violence because it worries it could harm behind-the-scenes diplomacy.
Jordan's King Abdullah said his kingdom was involved in intensive diplomacy to halt what he characterised as an Israeli military escalation. The monarch, whose ruling family has custodianship of Muslim and Christian sites in Jerusalem, did not elaborate. Israel and Jordan made peace in 1994.
The Israeli military said that Hamas, an Islamist group regarded by Israel, the United States and the European Union as a terrorist movement, and other armed factions have fired more than 2,800 rockets from Gaza over the past week.
That is more than half the number fired during 51 days in a 2014 war between Hamas and Israel, the military said, and more intensive even than Hezbollah's bombardment from Lebanon during the 2006 war between Israel and the Iran-backed Shi'ite group.
Many of the rockets have been intercepted by an Israeli anti-missile system, while some have fallen short of the border.
Hamas said its latest attacks were in retaliation for Israel's "ongoing aggression against civilians", including the air strike in Gaza City on Sunday that destroyed a number of homes.
The Israeli military said civilian casualties were unintentional and that its jets attacked a tunnel system used by militants, which collapsed, bringing the homes down. Hamas called it "pre-meditated killing".
On US network CBS' "Face the Nation" programme, Netanyahu defended another Israeli air strike a day earlier that destroyed a 12-storey building where the Associated Press and the Al Jazeera TV network had offices.
He said the structure also housed the militant group's intelligence office and was thus a legitimate target. He said Israel had passed information about the building to US authorities. A US intelligence official did not respond to a request for comment.
Israel had given advance warning to occupants to leave. The Associated Press has condemned the strike and called on Israel to present evidence that Hamas was in the building.
Biden's envoy, Hady Amr, arrived in Israel on Friday for talks, and an official with first-hand knowledge of his meetings said on Sunday that he reiterated "full US support" for Israel's right to defend itself.
Amr also made clear that Washington understood that "this is clearly not something that can be wrapped up in 24 hours," said the official, who asked not to be identified.
The envoy also addressed the White House's Eid event from Jerusalem, saying his mission was to "ease tensions and end the crisis as soon as possible" because "far, far, far too many Palestinians and Israelis, including children, have died."
