Gaza’s death toll soars as Israel kills senior Hamas commanders

Israeli air raids level buildings and kill dozens of Palestinians in Gaza, while Hamas rockets kill several Israelis.

The death toll in Gaza has soared in the worst escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in years after Israel killed a string of senior Hamas military figures and destroyed three multistorey towers as it hammered the Gaza Strip with air raids. Palls of grey smoke rose in Gaza on Wednesday, as Israeli air attacks struck apartment towers and blasted multiple Hamas security installations. In Israel, hundreds of rockets fired by Gaza’s Hamas rulers and other groups at times overwhelmed missile defences and sent air raid sirens and explosions echoing across Tel Aviv, Israel’s biggest metropolitan area, and other cities. Gaza’s Ministry of Health said the overall death toll since the latest offensive began stood at 56, including 16 children. At least 365 people have been wounded.