Israeli strike kills 10 in Gaza as violence spreads to West Bank

An Israeli strike early Saturday killed at least 10 people in Gaza, most of whom were children, as violence also spread to the West Bank, where nearly a dozen people were killed in clashes.

The air strike on a three-story house, located inside a refugee camp in Gaza City, killed eight children and two women from an extended family, according to  The Associated Press.

The strike was reportedly the deadliest single strike since violence between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas erupted this week.

The only person that is known to have survived the bombing is a 5-month-old baby, the AP reported.

The strike comes amid ongoing violence that began Monday, when Hamas first launched rockets into Israel.

The Gaza-based Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement Saturday that 139 Palestinians have been killed over the past week, including 39 children and 22 women. One thousand people have been wounded.

Clashes spread to the West Bank on Friday, according to the BBC, where another 11 Palestinians were killed and hundreds were injured, with Israeli forces deploying live fire, rubber bullets and tear gas.

An Israeli military official said that over 2,000 rockets had been fired toward Israel from Gaza since Monday, according to CNN.

Hady Amar, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of State for Israeli and Palestinian Affairs, arrived in Tel Aviv on Friday, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem said on Twitter.

“Dep Asst Secretary for Israel & Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr arrived to TLV today to reinforce the need to work toward a sustainable calm, recognizing Israel’s right to self-defense,” the Embassy said. “Israelis and Palestinians deserve equal measures of freedom, security, dignity and prosperity.”

Dep Asst Secretary for Israel & Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr arrived to TLV today to reinforce the need to work toward a sustainable calm, recognizing Israel’s right to self-defense. Israelis and Palestinians deserve equal measures of freedom, security, dignity and prosperity. pic.twitter.com/zyE6Ucp80P

— U.S. Embassy Jerusalem (@usembassyjlm) May 14, 2021