Israeli air strikes kill 16 in Gaza

GAZA CITY: Israeli air strikes on Gaza killed 16 Palestinians, medics said early Sunday.

It was the deadliest violence between Israel and the Palestinians across the Gaza border in more than three years, prompting the United States and the European Union to urge both sides to restore calm.

Medics said three Palestinians were killed in air strikes on Saturday: one near the southern town of Rafah on the border with Egypt and two in Khan Yunis. One more was killed early Sunday in a fresh strike on the east of the Gaza Strip.

That death brought to 16 the total number of Palestinians killed since Friday, medics said, adding that at least 27 Palestinians had been wounded, five seriously. (AFP)