Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip entered its sixth consecutive day, with air raids hitting a refugee camp – killing at least 10 Palestinians, including eight children – and flattening a high-rise building housing the offices of media organizations, including Al Jazeera.

In a televised speech Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will continue to strike Gaza “as long as necessary”.

Meanwhile, Palestinians on Saturday gathered in parts of the occupied West Bank to protest against continued Israeli occupation and the ongoing bombardment of Gaza.

At least 145 Palestinians, including 41 children, have been killed in the Gaza Strip since last Monday. Some 950 others have been wounded. In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces have killed at least 13 Palestinians.

At least 10 people in Israel have also been killed, with two new deaths reported on Saturday. The Israeli army said hundreds of rockets have been fired from Gaza towards various locations in Israel and they have added reinforcements near the enclave.

Thousands of Palestinian families are taking shelter in United Nations-run schools in northern Gaza amid the Israeli offensive.

Al Jazeera correspondent Safwat al-Kahlout said Israeli jets carried out 150 air strikes across the Gaza Strip in the early hours of Sunday, including at least 60 in Gaza City alone.

A Palestinian doctor, his wife and five of their children were killed in the latest strikes, said al-Kahlout, citing officials at al-Shifa Hospital.

Emergency responders believe some families are stuck under the rubble of their destroyed homes, al-Kahlout added, and the Gaza health ministry said many Palestinians are arriving at hospitals with injuries.

Story Date: May 17, 2021