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Deadly violence between Israel and Palestinians Jerusalem, May 17 (AFP) May 17, 2021 Israel and the Palestinians are mired in their worst conflict in years, in which Islamists have fired rockets and Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip with air strikes and artillery. One week since violence escalated with heavy military exchanges of fire on May 10, here is a recap.
The clashes come on the fourth day of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces in east Jerusalem. The clashes were sparked by a years-long bid by Jewish settlers to take over Arab homes. The next day, Hamas rains rockets down on Tel Aviv after an Israeli air strike destroys a Gaza City tower block where senior Hamas officials are said to have offices.
Israel declares a state of emergency in Lod, near Tel Aviv, after police report rioting by some Arab residents following the death of an Arab Israeli. Up to 1,000 border police are called up as reinforcements. More than 400 people, Jews and Arabs, are arrested.
The next day, Israel masses armoured vehicles and troops along Gaza's border. The defence ministry gives the army the green light to mobilise thousands of reservists. On May 15, an Israeli air strike on a building in Gaza's Shati refugee camp kills 10 members of an extended family. Hours later a strike flattens a 13-floor building in Gaza City housing Qatar-based Al Jazeera television and the US news agency the Associated Press. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells US President Joe Biden that Israel is doing its utmost to safeguard civilians in Gaza, as Biden expresses his "grave concern" over the flare-up. The White House says it has cautioned Israel about the importance of protecting independent media.
On May 16, Israel says strikes destroyed the home of Hamas' political leader in Gaza. Medics say raids across the territory left at least 42 dead, the highest daily death toll. UN chief Antonio Guterres appeals for an immediate end to the "utterly appalling" violence.
The United States blocks -- for the third time in a week -- the adoption of a joint UN Security Council statement calling for a halt to Israeli-Palestinian violence and the protection of civilians, diplomats said. Since conflict escalated on May 10, the death toll has risen to 200 people in the crowded coastal enclave of Gaza, including at least 59 children. More than 1,300 have been injured. Israel's army says over 3,150 rockets have now been fired from Gaza, killing 10 people, including one child, and injuring 294. burs/acm/jmy/hc
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