At least 21 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 21 people, including children, had been killed in the attacks.

The attacks were carried out after Hamas fired several rockets at Israel, following the expiration of the group’s ultimatum demanding Israel stand down forces from the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem.

Earlier on Monday tensions at the compound, the third holiest in Islam which is also revered by Jews, escalated with more than 300 Palestinians wounded when Israeli police stormed the mosque, firing rubber bullets, stun grenades and tear gas.

The UN Security Council held an urgent meeting on the unrest in Jerusalem, as world leaders urged the de-escalation of the tensions.

Israel says it struck 130 Gaza military targets, 15 ‘operatives’ killed

Israel’s army said on Tuesday that it had hit 130 “military targets” in Gaza, killing 15 “Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives” in retaliatory strikes after Palestinian groups launched a flurry of rockets towards Israel.

“We have struck 130 military targets belonging mostly to Hamas,” the group that controls the blockaded Gaza strip, Israeli army spokesman Jonathan Conricus told reporters.

“According to our current estimates we have killed 15 Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives,” AFP news agency quoted him as saying.

It is unclear if the death toll Israel reported is included in the 21 people that Palestinian officials reported killed in Gaza. Palestinian officials earlier said that children were among the fatalities in the latest Israeli airstrikes.

Source: Al Jazeera news

BDST: 1242 HRS, May 11, 2021
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