Death toll from Israeli airstrikes on Gaza rises to 181, including 52 children

At least 181 people have been killed in Israeli raids on Gaza, including 52 children, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said on Sunday.

The number of injuries among the city’s residents also rose to 1,225, according to official reports.

That number is expected to rise as ambulance and civil defense teams continue to dig through the rubble of dozens of destroyed buildings and pull out bodies from underneath them in the city, according to an Al Arabiya correspondent.

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At least 23 people were killed in overnight Israeli raids on Gaza and dozens were wounded, Palestinian officials said on Sunday.

Rescue workers search for victims amid rubble at the site of Israeli air strikes, in Gaza City May 16, 2021. (Reuters)

Last night’s raids were the deadliest single attack on Gaza since fighting began nearly a week ago.

Israeli warplanes struck several buildings and roads in a vital part of Gaza City early on Sunday, destroying the main roads leading to Shifa hospital, the largest hospital in the strip, according to residents and journalists.

A home was also targeted by Israeli raids on Sunday, the correspondent added.

Rescue workers search for victims amid rubble at the site of Israeli air strikes, in Gaza City May 16, 2021. (Reuters)

The Israeli military has yet to release a statement on the latest raids as the UN Security Council is set to discuss the ongoing situation on Sunday.

An Israeli air strike on Saturday afternoon targeted and destroyed a 12-story building housing the Gaza offices of The Associated Press and other news outlets.

The bombing disrupted international coverage of the ongoing conflict, an outcome that some media organizations say was a deliberate attempt to silence them.

(With The Associated Press)

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