APAwire - APAwire CLIENTS ONLY, Gaza - 13 May 2021. Palestinian attend the funeral of 13 Hamas militants, killed in Israeli air strikes in Gaza City.
STORYLINE
Islamist group Hamas said several of its top commanders were killed in Israeli strikes yesterday, including its military chief in Gaza City, Bassem Issa. Despite global alarm and diplomatic efforts to halt the spiralling violence, hundreds of rockets tore through the skies over the Gaza Strip overnight and Israel's air force launched multiple strikes with fighter jets, targeting what it described as locations linked to Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls Gaza.
The deadly exchange of fire between Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli military has escalated significantly, with the UN fearing a "full-scale war". Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes on Gaza, destroying three tower blocks and killing Hamas officials.
The Ministry of Health said 83 people have been killed so far in three days of non-stop Israeli airstrikes, including 17 children and 7 women, and more than 487 injured.
Footage by Ashraf Amra / APAwire