Hamas fired a barrage of rockets at Israel's economic hub Tel Aviv on Tuesday in retaliation for an Israeli strike that destroyed a 12-storey building in Gaza, as the foes traded their heaviest fire for several years. The sharp escalation, sparked by violence in Jerusalem, has killed at least 28 Palestinians in the blockaded Gaza Strip and three Israelis, prompting international calls for calm.
Several nights of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police, particularly around the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound, spiralled on Monday night into a barrage of Islamist rocket fire from Gaza and deadly airstrikes in retaliation. An Israeli woman was killed as rockets hit Rishon Letzion near Tel Aviv, while in nearby Holon, AFP photographers saw several cars and a bus on fire. Israel suspended traffic at its main airport on Tuesday due to a "massive rocket fire", the aviation authority told AFP, and air traffic websites showed flights redirected to nearby Cyprus. Hamas, which controls Gaza, said the tower block struck earlier had been a residential building, but AFP reporters said it also houses the offices of several Hamas officials.
In the crowded coastal enclave, 10 children were among those killed since Monday night, while 150 people were reported wounded, many rescued from the smouldering ruins of buildings. Rockets killed two women a short distance up the coast in Ashkelon.
At one stage the group claimed to have fired more than 100 rockets in under five minutes to overwhelm air defences. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel planned "to further intensify the power of our attacks".
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