Israel-Hamas, the rain of rockets and bombs continues. Egypt is working on a truce

• Heavy raids on Gaza and rockets on Israel continue.

  UN for an immediate ceasefire

• Rockets, raids and dozens of deaths: it is war between Israel and Hamas

• Israel offensive against Hamas.

  In Gaza, the headquarters of Al Jazeera and Ap

• Gaza.

  Hamas calls for a truce, but there is an Israeli no

• Israel: UN Security Council meeting, US opposed to declaration.

  Severe escalation

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May 17, 2021

It was the most intense night of bombing on Gaza since hostilities between Hamas and Israel resumed while, once the attempt to find a unitary orientation at the UN Security Council has failed, Egypt takes the diplomatic initiative to arrive to a truce.

The Israeli army carried out dozens of bombings on the territory of the Strip.

Palestinian sources reported about a hundred Israeli raids, 50 of which were concentrated in half an hour, according to Al Jazeera, in response to new rocket launches on the territory of the Jewish state.

Among the targets targeted is the government headquarters, including the Ansar compound, which houses the internal security service. Social media testimonies from residents are dramatic: "Airstrikes continue, buildings shake, doors crack and I heard my neighbors' children cry," a Reuters correspondent wrote on Twitter. The electricity grid suffered serious damage and some areas of the urban agglomeration remained in the dark. The number of Palestinian victims, according to the latest toll provided by the Gaza authorities, has risen to 220. Among them is the high commander of the Islamic Jihad Hassam Abu-Harbid, who died in a bombing that targeted the his home.

The Israeli armed forces have reported the destruction of new "terrorist targets", more than 1,180 since the start of hostilities. In particular, 15 kilometers of tunnels used by Hamas were destroyed, which in the meantime continued targeting southern Israel with rockets, 70 last night, according to Israeli sources. In Ashkelon and Ashdod 8 people were injured by shrapnel. Since the resumption of hostilities, Hamas has fired over 3,100 rockets into Israel, a number not seen in previous conflicts. The Al-Qassam brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, say they have launched a rocket attack in the direction of an Israeli ship off the coast of the Strip.

The situation also remains tense in the West Bank, where numerous fires have been started near roads and military installations and a person who had tried to run over a police patrol was arrested.

In the mixed-ethnic Israeli city of Lod, 7 people suspected of being involved in the violent clashes between Jews and Muslims in recent days were arrested.

The committee representing Arab citizens in Israel has called for a general strike for tomorrow, a protest also supported by Al Fatah, the faction headed by the current leader of the PNA, Abu Mazen.

Stall in the UN Council, Cairo attempts mediation

If appeals from the international community for a ceasefire multiply, the situation at the UN Security Council is still blocked ("by US obstructionism", Beijing accuses). Working on a mediation for a ceasefire is Egypt, assisted by other countries considered impartial such as Jordan and Germany. Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry had an interview with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who also heard from his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan al Saud. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, and his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, met in Paris on the sidelines of a conference on international aid to Sudan which saw the participation of various African, Arab and European leaders. There are Josep Borrell, head of Brussels diplomacy,and the Foreign Minister, Luigi Di Maio.

The aim of the summit is the cancellation of Khartoum's debt, but it is foreseeable that the opportunity will be taken to address the situation in the Middle East. According to the Financial Times, Israel is considering Hamas' offer of a "long-term" truce that would include the delivery of the bodies of two killed soldiers and the fate of two Israeli civilians detained in Gaza.

Measures to encourage de-escalation were also discussed during a videoconference of the special representatives of the Quartet for the Middle East (United Nations, the USA, the EU and Russia). The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had a telephone conversation with and Pope Francis, underlining "the need for not only the Islamic world, but also the Vatican to intervene to put an end to attacks aimed at affecting the conscience of all humanity" . Turkey, Ankara explains, supports the peace process, remains on the side of the Palestinians and will continue to defend the status of Jerusalem ".

AP: independent investigation into raid against media building in Gaza

The director of the Associated Press asked for an independent investigation into the Israeli air attack that destroyed the building in Gaza City that housed the AP, the Al-Jazeera broadcaster and other media, on the grounds that the public deserves to know the facts. The same Ap. Reporters Without Borders also separately asked the International Criminal Court to investigate the bombing.

For Sally Buzbee, AP's executive director, the Israeli government has yet to provide clear evidence in support of its attack, which leveled al-Jalaa's 12-story tower. The Israeli army, which gave AP reporters and other tenants about an hour to evacuate before the attack, said Hamas had a military intelligence and weapons development office in the building.