The U.S. on Tuesday called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss recent mortar attacks fired from Gaza into Israel, a call that comes amid ongoing violent clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli authorities along the contested Gaza Strip.
The American ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, blamed “Palestinian militants” for the barrages, which reportedly struck the yard of an empty kindergarten, among other areas, earlier Tuesday and wounded at least five.
“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 said in a statement.
The United States Mission to the United Nations announced that the meeting would probably take place on Wednesday afternoon.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad have claimed responsibility for the Tuesday mortar attacks, which were condemned by U.N. leaders and Israeli authorities.
The move by the U.S. comes as protesters and Israeli military forces have continued to clash along the Gaza border. Mass demonstrations erupted earlier this month as the relocated U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem opened, a decision by the Trump administration that met with heavy opposition from the Palestinian Authority.
Dozens were killed as Israeli military forces opened fired on the protesters along the border. Israeli officials blamed Hamas for instigating the violence.
According to The Associated Press, in recent weeks Israeli gunfire has killed more than 110 Palestinians.
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