The explosions lasted around 10 minutes and were heavier than similar strikes a day earlier that killed at least 42 Palestinians, the Associated Press reported.
Here’s what to know:
Israeli jets also destroyed a mattress factory in northern Gaza shortly after dawn and what witnesses said appeared to an artillery attack. Video circulating on social media showed plumes black smoke pouring from the facility.
The Israeli military said some 3,150 rockets had been fired at Israeli territory since the fighting began on May 10. Approximately of 460 of those launched failed and fell in Gaza itself while almost 90 percent are typically picked off by the Iron Dome missile defense system.
The attacks came amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to stem the conflict, including the first bipartisan call for a ceasefire from members of the U.S. Congress.
“Israel has the right to defend itself from Hamas’ rocket attacks, in a manner proportionate with the threat its citizens are facing,” wrote Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) on Sunday. “As a result of Hamas’ rocket attacks and Israel’s response, both sides must recognize that too many lives have been lost and must not escalate the conflict further. We are encouraged by reports that the parties are exploring a ceasefire.”
The Israeli airstrikes came at around 1:30 a.m. on Monday, as Palestinians took to social media to report the thud of explosions and the sight of fireballs rising into the sky.
The operation led to a lull in Hamas rocket fire, which resumed a few hours later, according to Israeli media.
“In the last few hours, fighter jets and aircraft have attacked nine headquarters of the Hamas terrorist organization throughout the Gaza Strip,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a tweet accompanying a video of an aerial view of the bombing. “The houses that were attacked were used as terrorist infrastructure and in some of the houses, weapons depots were even found.”
The IDF said 54 fighter jets dropped 110 precision munitions during the operation, which marked the third time in recent days the Israeli military has targeted Hamas’s tunnel system, dubbed the “Metro.”
Hours earlier, Hamas had vowed to continue its rocket attacks as revenge for the Israeli strike that killed 42 people, including 10 children, on a main road near Shifa Hospital in Gaza City early Sunday.
The Israeli military said that strike — believed to be the single deadliest attack in eight days fighting — was meant to destroy Hamas tunnels.
As a result of the strike, “the underground facility collapsed, causing the civilian houses’ foundations above them to collapse as well, leading to unintended casualties,” a military spokesman said, according to the AP.
Israeli officials also continued to defend the Saturday strike on the multistory building in Gaza City that housed the AP, Al Jazeera and other media outlets. On Sunday, the AP’s executive editor, Sally Buzbee, called for an independent investigation into the airstrike. Buzbee, who will take over as executive editor of The Washington Post next month, said the Israeli government had not provided clear evidence supporting its attack, which leveled the 12-story al-Jalaa tower.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went on CBS’s “Face the Nation” Sunday to say Hamas military intelligence was operating inside the building.
“It’s a perfectly legitimate target,” Netanyahu said, adding that evidence of his claim would be shared through intelligence channels, not aired in public.
The streets of mixed Arab-Israeli cities were mostly quiet Sunday evening after violent, sometimes deadly clashes earlier in the week, the Times of Israel reported.
Palestinians in the West Bank announced a general strike for Monday in protest of the Israeli attacks. Officials said at least 15 have been killed since Friday in the Palestinian territory in clashes with Israeli forces.
Diplomatic efforts to stop the crisis have yet to gain traction.
The U.N. Security Council held its first open meeting on the conflict on Sunday but took no action.
Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi, the Egyptian president, urged for the “cessation of all violence and hostilities” as his country opened the border with Gaza on Sunday to allow for the passage of people in need of medical care, according to the Times of Israel.
Jordan’s King Abdullah also said his kingdom was involved in diplomatic efforts, Reuters reported, quoting state media.
“There are intensive contacts with international parties to halt Israel’s escalation,” said the monarch, whose ruling family has custodianship of Muslim and Christian sites in Jerusalem.
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