Israel bomb showering on Gaza continues, death toll rises over 200

Gaza: Houses in Gaza continued to embrace Israeli drone strikes on Monday, resulting in several buildings were razed to the ground and disruption in power supply. However, no human casualties were reported.

The strikes come a day after 42 Palestinian casualties, including 8 children, were reported after the latest bombardment, the highest in a day.

In a statement, the Israeli army said its fighter jets were "striking terror targets in the Gaza Strip". In total, 197 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including at least 58 children, and more than 1,200 wounded since Israel launched its air campaign against Hamas on May 10 after the group fired rockets, as per an AFP report.

Overnight Sunday to Monday, Israel launched dozens of strikes in the space of a few minutes across the crowded coastal Palestinian enclave controlled by Islamist group Hamas, according to AFP journalists at the scene.

The heaviest exchange of fire in years was sparked by unrest in Jerusalem.

Israel's army said about 3,000 rockets had been fired since last Monday from Gaza towards Israel -- the highest rate ever recorded -- but added the Iron Dome anti-missile system had intercepted over 1,000. In Israel, 10 people, including one child, have been killed and 282 wounded by rocket fire launched by armed groups in Gaza.

Violence was precipitated by clashes at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound - one of Islam's holiest sites - on May 7 following a crackdown against protests over planned expulsions of Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

Sheikh Jarrah has been at the heart of the flareup, seeing weeks of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces with a car-ramming attack in Sheikh Jarrah wounded seven police officers, police said, adding that the attacker had been killed.

The UN Security Council condemned the renewed violence on Sunday, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the fighting "utterly appalling". However, no further action has been taken due to the United States, an ally of Israel, having delayed any form of talks citing that the already delicate situation could get worse if the Council was to interfere.

Guterres warned the fighting could have far-reaching consequences if not stopped immediately.

"It has the potential to unleash an uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis and to further foster extremism, not only in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel but in the region as a whole."