A total of 21 Palestinians, including three on Monday, died in Gaza in a new Israeli offensive that started Friday, according to Palestinian medical sources. Since Friday afternoon, at least 36 Israeli strikes have hit the Gaza Strip. In total, twenty-one Palestinians were killed and 73 wounded, according to emergency services.
Two Palestinians were killed Monday morning near the town of Khan Yunis. Palestinians said one of the victims was Qarmout Nayef a 15 year old boy who was killed and six others were injured. A spokesman for the emergency services in Gaza, Adham Abu Selmiya, stated that the strike took place near Beit Lahiya, in the northern part of the Palestinian territory.
Earlier, Israeli aircrafts had carried out further strikes in the night, wounding 35 people. In total, Israeli aircraft carried out eight raids overnight, Palestinian security sources said.
On the diplomatic front, the Palestinian representative to the UN, Riyad Mansour, asked the Security Council to "take urgent action to address the crisis," accusing Israel of "escalation of deadly violence and terror." In a letter to the Council, Deputy Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Chaim Waxman, warned that Israel would "take all necessary measures to protect its citizens" and "continue to exercise properly its right to self defense."
