US calls emergency UN meeting over Gaza shellings on Israel

The United States on Tuesday called for an emergency United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting to discuss the recent mortar attacks fired from Gaza into Israel.

The meeting is scheduled to take place on Wednesday afternoon, as per a statement from the US mission to the UN.

The emergency meeting has been called after US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley lambasted the Palestinians for the rocket attacks, calling them "militants", The Hill reported.

"The recent attacks out of Gaza are the largest we have seen since 2014. Mortars fired by Palestinian militants hit civilian infrastructure, including a kindergarten."

On a related note, at least five people were injured after rockets were reportedly fired in the yard of an empty kindergarten near the Gaza Border on Tuesday.

"The Security Council should be outraged and respond to this latest bout of violence directed at innocent Israeli civilians, and the Palestinian leadership needs to be held accountable for what they're allowing to happen in Gaza," Haley added.

Approximately 70 rockets and mortars were reportedly fired by the Hamas and other militant groups towards Israel on Tuesday morning.

The Israeli military said in a statement that this was the "biggest rocket and mortar attack launched from Gaza since 2014."

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) further said that its air defence system intercepted over two dozens of projectiles from Gaza. The forces responded against the militants by launching dozens of airstrikes in Gaza.

Earlier, the Israeli military shelled a Hamas-run checkpoint in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday, killing a Palestinian and injuring one.

Earlier this month, a large number of Palestinians gathered to protest on the Gaza Strip's eastern border to commemorate the Nakba anniversary and protest the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

In the clashes between Israel and Palestine at the Gaza Strip, at least 65 Palestinian demonstrators lost their lives and more than hundreds were injured.

Unidentified Palestinians were killed when Israeli soldiers opened fire at the eastern border of al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.