More than a dozen Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air raids on the besieged Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian health ministry, after Hamas launched rockets from the coastal territory towards Israel.
The Gaza health ministry told Al Jazeera on Monday that 22 people, including nine children, had been killed in the strikes. At least 265 others were wounded.Earlier Hamas, the ruling entity in Gaza, fired dozens of rockets into Israel, including a barrage that set off air raid sirens as far away as Jerusalem, after hundreds of Palestinians were wounded by Israeli forces which stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem. Hamas had given Israel an ultimatum that it stand down forces from Al-Aqsa, the third holiest site in Islam which is also revered by Jews.Tensions in Jerusalem have been fuelled by the planned forced expulsions of Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood and by an Israeli forces raid on Al-Aqsa on one of the holiest nights of Ramada
The Gaza health ministry said at least twenty Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes in the Palestinian territory after the barrages against Israel.
The Gaza health ministry said on Monday that nine Palestinians, including three children, were killed “in a series of strikes in northern Gaza”.The strikes came after Hamas fired several rockets at Israel, after the expiration of the group’s ultimatum demanding Israel stand down forces in the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said that rocket attacks by Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip into Israel were an “unacceptable escalation.”Britain condemned the firing of rockets at Jerusalem and other locations within Israel, calling for “immediate de-escalation on all sides”.
“The UK condemns the firing of rockets at Jerusalem and locations within Israel. The ongoing violence in Jerusalem and Gaza must stop,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab tweeted.
“We need an immediate de-escalation on all sides, and end to targeting of civilian populations.”A huge blaze broke out Monday evening in Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound, visible from various parts of the city.
The cause of the blaze at the third holiest site in Islam could not immediately be confirmed, but it followed Israeli police forces storming the compound which medics said left 331 people wounded.The Biden administration has serious concerns about the escalating violence in Israel as tensions simmer in Jerusalem, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
“We are continuing to closely monitor the violence in Israel. We have serious concerns about the situation, including violent confrontations that we’ve seen over the last few days,” said Psaki.
UN Security Council holds closed meeting
Speaking from the UN headquarters in New York, Al Jazeera’s Kristen Saloomey said discussion were ongoing after a closed door meeting on Al Aqsa took place.
“The official meeting has ended but the discussions are ongoing on a possible statement to be released to the press,” said Saloomey.
“This emergency meeting that was called by China which holds the presidency of the Security Council this month.“And a draft statement was put forward by China, Norway and Tunisia in line with comments made by Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres over the weekend, condemning the violence going on in Jerusalem, calling Israel not to evict Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem, calling for restraint.
“We’re told by diplomatic sources that the US expressed some reservations about the statement that was put forward. They’re concerned that it won’t be helpful to the situation,” she added.Israel’s army said it launched air strikes on Gaza, killing a senior Hamas commander, in response to rockets fired by Hamas following Israel’s attack on Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound.
“We have started, and I repeat started, to attack military targets in Gaza,” Israeli army spokesman Jonathan Conricus told reporters.
He said Israeli forces had targeted “a Hamas military operative,” while Hamas sources in Gaza confirmed to AFP that one of their commanders had been killed.