Israel launches deadly airstrikes on Gaza following rocket attacks by Hamas

At least 24 Palestinians, including 9 children, were killed overnight and 122 others were wounded in Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today Deadly airstrikes overnight in Gaza, Hamas fires rockets into Israel [A Palestinian searches for survivors under the rubble of a destroyed rooftop of a residential building which was hit by Israeli missile strikes, at the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, May. 11, 2021.] Credit: Khalil Hamra/AP At least 24 Palestinians, including nine children, were killed overnight and 122 others were wounded in Israeli [airstrikes in the Gaza Strip]( in a new round of escallating tensions, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The strikes were prompted by Hamas launching dozens of rockets from Gaza toward Israeli cities as far as Jerusalem. They [wounded 56 people]( and killed two in the coastal city of Ashkelon, Israeli officials said. The fighting erupted after days of clashes in east Jerusalem over [possible evictions of Palestinian families]( in the Sheik Jarrah neighborhood. Violence on Monday between Palestinian worshippers and Israeli police in and around the Al-Aqsa mosque led to hundreds of Palestinians injured along with 21 Isreali police. US Secretary of State [Antony Blinken urged both Israel and the Palestinians]( to lower tensions while several Arab nations, including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman called on Israel to respect international law and the right of peaceful worship. What The World is following The COVID-19 variant first identified in India has been designated a [global concern by the World Health Organization.]( The B.1.617 variant “suggests increased transmissibility” in preliminary studies, Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical lead on COVID-19, said in a briefing. India’s health system is buckling under the strain of a surge of infections, [increasing pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi]( to impose a nationwide lockdown. The US food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 jab to children as young as 12. [The FDA declared the vaccine is safe]( and offers protection based on testing of more than 2,000 volunteers aged 12 to 15 in the US. Vaccination could start as soon as Thursday, allowing states to get middle school students vaccinated before the fall semester begins. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [What the debate over Biden receiving Communion may mean for the world]( [San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone celebrates Easter Mass, which was live-streamed, at St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco, April 12, 2020.]( Credit: Jeff Chiu/AP Most US Catholics believe President Joe Biden should receive Communion, despite his stance on abortion. The push by conservative US bishops to deny him the Eucharist may have more of an impact in other countries. “I think the point there is how influential the US Conference of Catholic Bishops is globally,” [said Amanda Ussak](, international program director for the group Catholics for Choice. “The USCCB is one of the most conservative national conferences around the world — what they say influences the lives of people all over the world.” [Some migrants crossing the Mediterranean say they prefer death to being returned]( [Migrants wearing face masks to curb the spread of COVID-19 sit at a pier as Italian police officers stand by, on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, southern Italy, May 10, 2021.]( Credit: Salvatore Cavalli/AP Migrants continue to risk their lives by embarking on perilous journeys by boat across the Mediterranean. What’s worse, many say [they prefer death]( to being returned to the places they’re fleeing. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright Spot Starting on May 17, England will be easing lockdown measures and that [means hugs are back](. It may seem like a small thing but health experts say hugs and human touch have major [social, psychological and biological benefits]( (🎧). [Screen shot of a tweet from Tracy Chou]( Credit: Twitter --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it from The World --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.