26 killed as Israel targets Gaza with air strikes

Israel unleashed new air strikes on Gaza early on Tuesday, hitting a pair of high-rise buildings believed to be housing militants, as Hamas and other armed groups bombarded southern Israel with hundreds of rockets. The escalation was sparked by weeks of tensions in contested Jerusalem. Since sundown on Monday, 26 Palestinians — including nine children and a woman — were killed in Gaza, most by air strikes, Gaza health officials said. The Israeli military said at least 16 of the dead were militants. During the same period, Gaza militants fired hundreds of rockets toward Israel, killing two Israeli civilians and wounding 10 others.