Death toll in Gaza soars as Biden speaks with Abbas, Netanyahu
Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip entered its seventh consecutive day with air raids early on Sunday; killing at least 15 Palestinians, wounding dozens more, and flattening at least two residential buildings.
In Israel’s Tel Aviv, people dashed for bomb shelters as sirens warning of incoming rocket fire blared across the city.
More than 150 Palestinians, including at least 41 children, have been killed in the Gaza Strip in the past week; More than 1,000 others have been wounded. In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces have killed at least 13 Palestinians.
Israel has reported 10 dead, including two children.
Biden reaffirms ‘strong support’ for Israel
US President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reaffirmed his “strong support for Israel’s right to defend itself against rocket attacks from Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza”, the White House said.
He also spoke with Palestinian Authority President Abbas and “conveyed a commitment to strengthening the US-Palestinian partnership,” the White House added in a tweet.
Today the President spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, reaffirmed his strong support for Israel’s right to defend itself against rocket attacks from Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza, and condemned these indiscriminate attacks against Israel. pic.twitter.com/baHWh1b6Q2
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 15, 2021
Israeli premier says attacks on Gaza will continue
Israel’s prime minister said that attacks on the Gaza Strip would continue as long as they were necessary.
Netanyahu also claimed that the tower, which housed offices of various media groups, including Al Jazeera and The Associated Press; was being used by Palestinian groups, including Hamas, before being destroyed by the Israeli army.
China calls for UN council action, slams US
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on the UN Security Council to seek a de-escalation of violence between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers. He also blamed the US for the council’s lack of action so far.
“Regrettably, the council has so far failed to reach an agreement, with the United States standing on the opposite side of international justice,” the state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Wang as saying.
Hamas Chief Statement
Speaking to crowds of protesters in the Qatari capital of Doha, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said late on Saturday that the underlying cause of the hostilities was Jerusalem.
“The Zionists thought … they could demolish the al-Aqsa mosque. They thought they could displace our people in Sheikh Jarrah,” said Haniyeh.
“I say to Netanyahu: do not play with fire,” he continued, amid cheers from the crowd. “The title of this battle today, the title of the war, and the title of the intifada, is Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Jerusalem,” using the Arabic word for “uprising”.
Law Student, School of Law, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad
