Israel has killed a Hamas commander and vowed no let-up in its Gaza barrages.

Palestinian militants rained rockets far across the border.

Washington is now trying to try to calm their most intense hostilities in years.

The UN Secretary General says he’s gravely concerned by the ongoing violence in the Middle East, with fears of a full scale war.

The deadly exchange of fire between Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli military is continuing to worsen, as tensions escalate quickly.

Israel claims more than 1,000 rockets were fired by Palestinian militants.

In response, Israel carried out hundreds of air strikes on Gaza, destroying three tower blocks and killing senior Hamas officials.

A 13-storey residential building in Gaza collapsed after it was hit by an Israeli air strike, one of hundreds that Israel said it had carried out against Hamas targets.

The incoming rocket fire was so relentless that Israel’s Iron Dome rocket-defence system was overwhelmed.

At least 53 Palestinians and six Israelis died, including 14 Palestinian children.

Israel’s response

While the US is calling for Israel to be mindful of civillian casualties, the country’s Prime Minister remains defiant.

We are at the height of a weighty campaign”

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU | ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns Palestinian militants will pay a “very heavy” price after three Israelis died from rocket attacks on Tel Aviv, in the latest round of violence to roil the region.

In Tel Aviv, air raid sirens were heard around the city. For Israel, the militants’ targeting of Tel Aviv, its commercial capital, poses a new challenge in the confrontation with the Islamist Hamas group.

The White House says Israel has a legitimate right to defend itself from rocket attacks but is applying pressure on Israel over the treatment of Palestinians.

Describing the scenes of destruction in Gaza as ‘harrowing,’ Secretary of State Antony Blinken says a senior aide, Hady Amr, will be sent to urge Israelis and Palestinians to seek calm.