Israeli military destroys home of senior Hamas leader as airstrikes kill 26 Palestinians – follow live

Pope Francis has denounced the “unacceptable” spiral of violence between Israel and Gaza, warning that the deaths of children were a “sign that they don’t want to build the future but want to destroy it.”

During his Sunday blessing, Francis prayed for peace, calm and international help to open a path of dialogue in the region.

“I ask myself: this hatred and vendetta, what will it bring? Do we truly think that we can build peace by destroying the other?” the pope said.

He added: “In the name of God, who created all human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity and are called to live as brothers, I appeal for calm.”

Médecins Sans Frontières has said one of its clinics for trauma and burn treatment in Gaza has been damaged by Israeli airstrikes.

“No one was injured in our clinic, but people were killed by the bombing,” the organisation said on Twitter.

Two people armed with knives have been arrested after they claimed to have crossed into Israel from Jordan, police have said.

An Israeli police spokesperson said the two suspects had crossed the border overnight and were being questioned by security services.

Jordanian officials were not immediately available for comment for Reuters.

Earlier this week, pro-Palestinian protesters briefly entered Israel from Lebanon after storming border fences, while hundreds from Jordan attempted to enter the country along the eastern frontier.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has condemned Israel’s “flagrant violations” of Palestinian rights and called on the international community to act urgently to put an end to military operations in the region.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud made his comments in televised remarks at the start of an emergency virtual meeting of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

The minister condemned what he called the violation of the sanctity of Islamic holy sites and “forcible” eviction of Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem.

He added that the international community needed to carry out its responsibility towards ending the “dangerous escalation” and revive peace negotiations based on a two-state solution.

Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City have flattened three buildings and killed at least 26 people, according to medics, in the deadliest single attack since heavy fighting broke out in the region nearly a week ago.

The Gaza Health Ministry said 10 women and eight children were among those killed, with another 50 people injured in the attack.

It added that rescuers were racing to pull survivors and bodies from the rubble.

The death toll in Gaza has risen to 181 fatalities, with 52 children among those killed, according to the territory’s health ministry.

The ministry added that the deaths were mostly the result of Israeli airstrikes on the blockaded Gaza Strip.

The Isreali military says it has destroyed the home of Gaza’s top Hamas leader in the third such attack in as many days, after nearly a week of heavy air strikes on the Palestinian territory.

Military officials said the homes of Yahya Sinwar, the most senior Hamas leader inside the territory, and his brother Muhammad, another senior Hamas member, had been struck, while the home of senior political figure Khalil al-Hayeh was destroyed on Saturday.

Brigadier general Hidai Zilberman confirmed the strike on Mr Sinwar’s house in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis to army radio.

He said the home of his brother, who is in charge of Hamas “logistics and personnel”, was also destroyed.

However, Hamas’ most senior officials have gone into hiding in Gaza so it is unlikely any were at home at the time of the strikes.

The militant group has acknowledged that 20 fighters have been killed since heavy fighting broke out last Monday, although Israel claims the real number is far higher.