A streak of light is seen as Israel鈥檚 Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel May 16, 2021. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
GAZA/JERUSALEM聽 鈥� Israel and Gaza鈥檚 ruling Hamas militant group faced mounting international calls for a ceasefire in hostilities that entered their second week on Monday with no end in sight.
World concern deepened with an Israeli air strike in Gaza that destroyed several homes on Sunday and which Palestinian health officials said killed 42 people, including 10 children, and persistent rocket attacks on Israeli towns.
Injecting more urgency into Washington鈥檚 calls for calm, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote on Twitter, 鈥淎ll parties need to deescalate tensions 鈥� the violence must end immediately鈥�, after he spoke with Egypt鈥檚 foreign minister about ongoing violence in Israel, Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
At a meeting on Sunday of the U.N. Security Council, the United States said it has made clear to Israel, the Palestinians and others that it is ready to offer support 鈥渟hould the parties seek a ceasefire鈥�.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel鈥檚 campaign in Gaza was continuing at 鈥渇ull force鈥�, and that deterrence had to be achieved to prevent future conflict with Hamas.
鈥淲e are acting now, for as long as necessary, to restore calm and quiet to you, Israel鈥檚 citizens. It will take time,鈥� Netanyahu said in a televised address after his security cabinet met on Sunday.
Just past midnight on Monday, militants launched rockets at the southern Israeli cities of Beersheba and Ashkelon. Witnesses said Israeli planes launched dozens of air strikes. The Israeli military said a Hamas intelligence complex was among the targets.
The Gaza Health ministry put the death toll in the densely populated enclave of two million Palestinians at 197, including 58 children and 34 women. Ten people have been killed in Israel, including two children, Israeli authorities say.
Hamas began its rocket assault last Monday after weeks of tensions over a court case to evict several Palestinian families in East Jerusalem, and in retaliation for Israeli police clashes with Palestinians near the city鈥檚 Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam鈥檚 third holiest site, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Sustained calm
U.S. President Joe Biden said his administration is working with all parties towards achieving a sustained calm.
鈥淲e also believe Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live in safety and security and enjoy equal measure of freedom, prosperity and democracy,鈥� he said in a pretaped video aired at an event marking the Muslim Eid holiday on Sunday.
In New York, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council that hostilities in Israel and Gaza were 鈥渦tterly appalling鈥� and called for an immediate end to fighting.
He said the United Nations was 鈥渁ctively engaging all sides toward an immediate ceasefire鈥� and urged them 鈥渢o allow mediation efforts to intensify and succeed.鈥� U.N. envoys have helped to mediate past truces between Israel and Hamas.
Washington, a strong ally of Israel, has been isolated at the United Nations over its objection to a public statement by the Security Council on the ongoing violence because it worries it could harm behind-the-scenes diplomacy.
Jordan鈥檚 King Abdullah said his kingdom was involved in intensive diplomacy to halt what he characterized as an Israeli military escalation. The monarch, whose ruling family has custodianship of Muslim and Christian sites in Jerusalem, did not elaborate. Israel and Jordan made peace in 1994.
The Israeli military said that Hamas, an Islamist group regarded by Israel, the United States and the European Union as a terrorist movement, and other armed factions have fired more than 2,800 rockets from Gaza over the past week.
This was more than half the number fired during 51 days in a 2014 war between Hamas and Israel, the military said, and more intensive even than Hezbollah鈥檚 bombardment from Lebanon during the 2006 war between Israel and the Iran-backed Shi鈥檌te group.
Many of the rockets have been intercepted by an Israeli anti-missile system while some have fallen short of the border.
Hamas said its latest attacks were in retaliation for Israel鈥檚 鈥渙ngoing aggression against civilians鈥�, including the air strike in Gaza City on Sunday that destroyed a number of homes.
The Israeli military said civilian casualties were unintentional and that its jets attacked a tunnel system used by militants, which collapsed, bringing the homes down. Hamas called it 鈥減re-meditated killing鈥�.
On U.S. network CBS鈥檚 鈥淔ace the Nation鈥� program, Netanyahu defended another Israeli air strike a day earlier that destroyed a 12-storey building where the Associated Press and the Al Jazeera TV network had offices.
He said the structure also housed a militant group鈥檚 intelligence office and was thus a legitimate target. He said Israel had passed information about the building to U.S. authorities. A U.S. intelligence official did not respond to a request for comment.
Israel had given advance warning to occupants to leave. The Associated Press has condemned the strike and called on Israel to present evidence that Hamas was in the building.
Biden鈥檚 envoy, Hady Amr, arrived in Israel on Friday for talks, and an official with first-hand knowledge of his meetings said on Sunday that he reiterated 鈥渇ull U.S. support鈥� for Israel鈥檚 right to defend itself.
Amr also made clear Washington understood 鈥渢his is clearly not something that can be wrapped up in 24 hours,鈥� said the official, who asked not to be identified.
The envoy also addressed the White House鈥檚 Eid event from Jerusalem, saying his mission was to 鈥渆ase tensions and end the crisis as soon as possible鈥� because 鈥渇ar, far, far too many Palestinians and Israelis, including children, have died.鈥�