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16th May 2021

Israeli airstrikes kill 26 people in Gaza in deadliest single attack of latest violence

Clara Kelly

10 women and eight children were among those killed in Sunday’s attack.

Israeli airstrikes in the heart of Gaza City have killed at least 26 people and flattened three buildings, making it the deadliest single attack since heavy fighting broke out between Isreal and Hamas last week.

The Gaza Health Ministry said 10 women and eight children were among those killed in Sunday’s attack, with another 50 injured.

Meanwhile, on Friday, an Israeli airstrike destroyed a high-rise building in Gaza City that housed offices of The Associated Press and other media outlets.

The move was the latest step by the military to silence reporting from the territory and the strike came nearly an hour after the military ordered people to evacuate the building.

The 12-story building also housed Al-Jazeera, other offices, and residential apartments.

Earlier, Israel said it had bombed the home of Gaza’s top Hamas leader in a separate strike. It was the third such air attack targeting the homes of Hamas leaders over the past two days.

At least 174 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza thus far including 47 children and 29 women, meanwhile, 1,200 have been injured. Eight Israelis have also been killed, including a five-year-old boy and a soldier.

Hamas and the Islamic Jihad militant group have acknowledged 20 fighters have been killed since the fighting broke out last Monday. Israel claims the real number is higher.

The fighting was triggered by violence in Jerusalem and Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes across the blockaded territory, which is home to more than two million Palestinians.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney told the Israeli Ambassador at a meeting on Tuesday that the loss of life in Gaza was “completely unacceptable”.

Ambassador Ophir Kariv had been summoned to meet with the Minister after Israel unleashed new airstrikes on Gaza, killing a number of militants and civilians.

Coveney tweeted that the cycle of violence must end, stating that the “killing of children in conflict is never acceptable”.

“The killing of children in conflict is never acceptable. Israel should be condemned for targeting Gaza with such tragic consequences,” he said.

“Firing rockets from Gaza must be condemned, but so too should such a brutal response. This violence must end.”

During the 45 minute meeting, he is understood to have told the ambassador that Israel has a duty to protect civilians and urged the Israeli authorities to urgently take action to de-escalate the situation.

Thousands of people across the country joined protests in solidarity with Palestine on Saturday, as protesters marched from Dublin City Centre to Ballsbridge, where the Israeli embassy is located on Pembrooke Road.

Outside the embassy, protestors gathered in huge numbers waving Palestinian flags and carrying signs calling on the government to expel the Israeli ambassador to Ireland.

The protest in Dublin was just one of a number of protests which took place around the country on Saturday, meanwhile, a number of pro-Palestine protests have also taken place internationally in recent days.

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