The Israeli military says it has destroyed the home of Gaza's top Hamas leader after a week of intense violence in the region.
Violent clashes broke out after the Israeli Supreme Court upheld plans to evict Palestinians from Jerusalem, leaving 26 Palestinians dead as a result of the attack, BBC News reports.
The military said it destroyed the homes of Yahya Sinwar, the most senior Hamas leader inside the territory, and his brother Muhammad, who is another senior Hamas member.
On Saturday, Israel said it bombed the home of Khalil al-Hayeh, a senior member of Hamas, saying the building served as part of the group's "terrorist infrastructure".
It's not yet known if any of the targets were killed. Members of Hamas have largely gone into hiding since the most recent escalation, which began on Monday.
Speaking to pro-Palestinian protesters in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday night, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said the group would persist despite the escalated violence.
He said: "The resistance will not give in and will always be on top of the mountain, carrying the sword and shield for Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa, God willing. This is the besieged Gaza… 15 years under siege from every direction, this is Gaza today."
The Israeli army said it also carried out strikes targeting Hamas tunnel systems.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad armed groups acknowledged 20 fighters have been killed since violence broke out, however, Israel said the number is higher.
Per Al Jazeera, more than 170 Palestinians, including at least 47 children, have been killed in the Gaza Strip in seven days of Israeli attacks. In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces have killed at least 13 Palestinians.
Meanwhile, Israel has reported 10 dead, including two children, from the thousands of missiles fired by Hamas. Despite the large number of missiles fired by Hamas, many were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system.
The current rate of airstrikes in Gaza is the most intense since the bombardment in 2014.
The deadly violence has forced Gaza's health ministry to speak out, saying that Israel's military has renewed its bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip, per Al Jazeera.
Salameh Marouf, the head of the Gaza-based government information office, told the publication: "The Israeli occupation carried out more than 56 air strikes against the Gaza Strip in which more than 120 missiles were used against civilian targets.
"Israel intentionally targeted service facilities, such as near the water desalination facility to the north of Gaza, which put it out of service."
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu this week declared an emergency in the town of Lod, southeast of Tel Aviv, following what police called "wide-scale riots" by supporters of the Palestinians.
Vowing to continue attacks on Palestinians in Gaza, he said in a nationally televised speech late on Tuesday that Hamas "have paid, and will pay a heavy price".
Per BBC, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz said that Israeli strikes so far on Palestinians were "just the beginning."
"This is just the beginning. Terror organizations have been hit hard and will continue to be hit because of their decision to hit Israel. We'll return peace and quiet, for the long term."
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