Israeli raids kill 42
GAZA CITY: Israeli strikes killed 42 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the worst daily toll in almost a week of deadly clashes, as UN Security Council talks fizzled despite global alarm at the escalating conflict.
Israeli warplanes continued to pummel the Palestinian enclave overnight Sunday to Monday, carrying out dozens of air strikes across the densely populated territory in just a few minutes and causing power cuts.
The Israeli army said in the first hours of Monday its fighter jets were “striking terror targets in the Gaza Strip”.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pleaded for an immediate end to the “utterly appalling” violence and warned of an “uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis”.
But the council meeting, already delayed by Israel’s ally the US, resulted in little action.
The heaviest exchange of fire in years — sparked by unrest in Jerusalem — has killed 197 in Gaza and 10 in Israel since Monday, according to authorities on either side.
Israel said on Sunday morning its “continuing wave of strikes” had in the past 24 hours struck more than 90 targets across the coastal enclave, where an Israeli strike that destroyed a building housing journalists’ offices sparked outrage.
The death toll kept rising in Gaza as rescuers extracted bodies from vast piles of smoking rubble and the bereaved wailed in grief.
“We were sleeping and then all of a sudden there were rockets raining down on us,” said Lamia al-Koulak, 43, who lost relatives in a dawn bombardment. “The children were screaming. For half an hour we were bombarded without prior warning. We came out to find the building next door flattened.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the campaign would “take time”.
“Our campaign against the terrorist organisations is continuing with full force,” he said in a televised address. “We are acting now, for as long as necessary, to restore calm and quiet to you, Israel’s citizens.”
Israel’s army said about 3000 rockets had been fired since last Monday from Gaza towards Israel — the highest rate ever recorded.
About 450 fell within the coastal strip, while the Iron Dome antimissile system intercepted more than 1000, according to the army.
Rockets have wounded more than 280 people, hitting districts previously well beyond the range of Hamas’ rockets.
Army chief Aviv Kochavi said Israel had reacted with unprecedented force. “Hamas misjudged the strength of our response,” he said.
Two doctors and at least 58 children have died in Gaza, local health authorities said. More than 1200 people have been wounded and entire city blocks smashed to rubble.
Gaza health authorities said 40,000 people had been displaced from their homes.