Gaza death toll from Israeli airstrikes rises as violence continues
Jerusalem, May 16 (EFE).- Scores of people have died as the escalating violence between Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip and Israel entered its seventh consecutive day on Sunday.
The Health Ministry in Gaza reported that the death toll rose to at least 174, including 47 children and 29 women, while 1,200 others have been wounded.
The Israeli attacks early on Sunday morning consisted of 50 bombings in less than 15 minutes and destroyed the family residence of Yahya Sinwar, leader of Islamist movement Hamas since 2017. Sinwar was not at home.
His brother’s house was also destroyed in the airstrikes, Israel said.
The Israeli bombings, which eyewitnesses in Gaza said targeted civilian buildings, were the heaviest since the start of the worst outbreak of violence in the region in years.
Five houses in Gaza have been destroyed, killing at least five civilians, including three children, a health ministry spokesman confirmed.
Palestinian militants have been continuously firing rockets into Israeli territory since Monday, with 130 launched overnight.
An Israeli military spokesman said a total of 2,900 have been fired since the start of the violence; 450 of them went down over Gaza without reaching Israeli territory, while 1,150 were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system.
At least 10 people have died in Israel from rocket attacks.
Escalating tensions boiled over due to Palestinians’ frustrations with strict health measures imposed during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the proposed forced evictions of Palestinian families from in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah to make way for Jewish settlers, which led to clashes at a Jerusalem holy site.
