Israeli air strikes hit Gaza as fighting enters second week
(VOVWORLD) - Israel bombed what it said were underground tunnels used by Hamas and Palestinian militants that fired rocket barrages as fighting continued into a second week on Monday.
 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 17, 2021. (Photo: REUTERS/Ashraf Abu Amrah) |
After a night of heavy Israeli air strikes on areas across the Islamist Hamas-run enclave, Israel's military said Gaza militants had fired about 60 rockets towards Israeli cities overnight. Gaza health officials put the death toll at 198. Ten people have been killed in Israel, Israeli authorities say.
World concern had already deepened after an Israeli air strike in Gaza that destroyed several homes on Sunday and which Palestinian health officials said killed 42 people, including 10 children. Persistent rocket attacks on Israeli towns also continued.
In New York, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council that 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.