Israel's army said Sunday it had bombed the home of the political leader of Hamas, a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue to strike in Gaza for “as long as necessary”.
The heaviest exchange of fire in years, sparked by unrest in Jerusalem, has killed 197 in Gaza since Monday, along with 10 in Israel, according to authorities on either side.
Israel said Sunday morning its "continuing wave of strikes" had in the past 24 hours struck over 90 targets across Gaza, where the destruction of a building housing news media organisations sparked international outcry.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was "dismayed" by civilian casualties in Gaza and "deeply disturbed" by Israel's strike on Saturday on the tower housing the Associated Press and Al Jazeera bureaus, a spokesperson said. 
Israel's army said Sunday that about 2,900 rockets had been fired from the coastal strip controlled by Hamas towards Israel, "of which approximately 450 failed launches fell in the Gaza Strip".
Palestinian Civil Defense men search for people between the rubble of a destroyed house in Gaza City, 16 May 2021. Source: EPA
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had attacked the infrastructure of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The IDF says it targeted a vast tunnel system with some 100 strikes, as well as weapon factories and storage sites.
Israeli airstrikes hit the home of Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas' political wing in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army released a video showing plumes of smoke and intense damage, but did not confirm if he was killed in the attack.
"Among the targets struck are the residences of Yahya Sinwar, Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau in Gaza, as well as of his brother, Muhammad Sinwar, Head of Logistics and Manpower for Hamas," Israel's army said in a statement.
‘As long as necessary’
Israel says its Iron Dome anti-missile system has intercepted about 1,150 rockets in a week where Israeli residential buildings have been hit and sirens have wailed across towns and major cities.
In a televised speech on Saturday night, Mr Netanyahu vowed to continue to strike in Gaza for "as long as necessary".
"The party that bears the guilt for this confrontation is not us, it's those attacking us," he said.
"We are still in the midst of this operation, it is still not over and this operation will continue as long as necessary."
The civilian death toll has mounted in Gaza, where authorities say at least 47 children have been killed, 1,200 people wounded and entire buildings and city blocks have been reduced to rubble.
The IDF says it takes all possible precautions to avoid harming civilians and has blamed Hamas for deliberately placing military targets in densely populated areas.
One strike on Gaza killed 10 members of an extended family on Saturday.
The children "didn't carry weapons, they didn't fire rockets", said Mohammad al-Hadidi, one of the grieving fathers.
Some 10,000 Gazans have fled their homes near the Israeli border for fear of a ground offensive, the UN said.
"They are sheltering in schools, mosques and other places during a global COVID-19 pandemic with limited access to water, food, hygiene and health services," UN humanitarian official Lynn Hastings said.
Balls of flame and a cloud of debris shot into the sky Saturday afternoon as Israel's air force flattened the 13-floor Gaza building housing Qatar-based Al Jazeera and the Associated Press news agency, after giving a warning to evacuate.
An Israeli airstrike hits the high-rise building housing media offices in Gaza City, Saturday, May 15, 2021 Source: AP
Al Jazeera's Jerusalem bureau chief, Walid al-Omari, told AFP: "It is clear that those who are waging this war do not only want to spread destruction and death in Gaza, but also to silence media that are witnessing, documenting and reporting the truth."
AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt said he was "shocked and horrified" by the attack.
Jawad Mehdi, the owner of the Jala Tower, said an Israeli intelligence officer had told him he had just an hour to evacuate the building.
Israeli defence officials said the building housed not only news bureaus but offices of Hamas militants.
With Reuters.
