GAZA, May 3 (Xinhua) -- A senior official of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Wednesday called on Arab and international mediators to stop the ongoing Israeli aerial strikes on the Gaza Strip.
Ismail Haniyeh, the politburo chief of Hamas, held phone talks with Egyptian and Qatari officials, urging them "to stop the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip," said a press statement issued by his office in Gaza.
The official also spoke with Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO), and asked him to pressure Israel to stop the airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, said the statement.
Meanwhile, Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations are holding intensive talks with the Palestinian and Israeli sides to contain the current wave of tension and reach a ceasefire to stop the hostility, according to Palestinian sources.
Israeli fighter jets, drones, and helicopters carried out dozens of intensive airstrikes on Hamas military posts in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday night, Palestinian security officials and eyewitnesses said.
No injuries were reported, but several homes and sites were struck and severely damaged by Israeli missiles all over the coastal enclave that has been ruled by Hamas since 2007, security officials confirmed.
While Israeli fighter jets were striking the Gaza Strip, militants continued to fire dozens of rockets and projectiles from the coastal enclave at southern Israel, wounding at least nine Israelis and causing damage to buildings and vehicles, Israel media reported.
Palestinian militant groups, including Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), claimed responsibility for firing rockets and projectiles at southern Israel.
The firing of rockets came in response to the death of Khader Adnan, a senior PIJ member who died in Israeli custody after he went on a hunger strike for 86 days.
Adnan's death in Israeli prison has raised tension between Israelis and Palestinians, which has been flaring up since early January. ■
