Israeli airstrikes kill string of Hamas military leaders
Smoke and fire rises following Israeli airstrikes on a building in Gaza City, Wednesday, May 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
Gaza Strip sees fiercest fighting since 2014.
Posted: May 12, 2021 12:07 PM
Posted By: Mike Bunge
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) Israel killed a string of senior Hamas military figures Wednesday and pounded three multistory towers as it hammered the Gaza Strip with airstrikes and militants in the territory fired barrages of rockets. Dozens have died in the most severe outbreak of violence since a 2014 war, with no resolution in sight.
The fighting has taken on many hallmarks of that devastating 50-day conflict between Israel and Hamas, but with a startling new factor: a burst of fury from Israel’s Palestinian citizens in support of those living in the territories as well as counterviolence by Jewish Israelis.
1 of 57
Smoke rises after Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City, Wednesday, May 12, 2021. Rockets streamed out of Gaza and Israel pounded the territory with airstrikes early Wednesday as the most severe outbreak of violence since the 2014 war took on many of the hallmarks of that devastating 50-day conflict, with no endgame in sight. Khalil Hamra
Jacob Simona stands by his burning car during clashes with Israeli Arabs and police in the Israeli mixed city of Lod, Israel Tuesday, May 11,2021. Heidi levine
Jewish nationalist demonstrators look at a barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip toward central Israel, in the Israeli town of Ramla, Tuesday, May 11, 2021. The protesters had gathered in an attempted show of strength in a predominantly Arab neighborhood.
JERUSALEM (AP) The Latest on confrontations between Israelis and Palestinians as Israel signals a widening military campaign:
WASHINGTON U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reaffirm America’s support for Israel’s right to defend itself from Hamas rocket attacks from Gaza.
Blinken spoke on Wednesday with the Israeli leader. The State Department said he also repeated U.S. calls for a de-escalation of violence and the Biden administration’s belief that both Israelis and Palestinians have the right to live in safety and security.
Blinken announced earlier he was sending a senior diplomat to the region to make similar appeals in person to Israeli and Palestinian officials. He also said that Israel had an “extra burden” to avoid civilian casualties as it responds to the attacks.