According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israeli airstrikes in the heart of Gaza City have killed at least 23 people and injured 50 others, making it the deadliest single attack since Israel and Gaza's militant Hamas rulers began fighting nearly a week ago.

Early on Sunday, rescuers were racing to retrieve survivors and bodies from the debris of the attacks. In a separate attack, Israel claimed to have bombed the home of Gaza's top Hamas official. It was the third attack against Hamas leaders' homes in the last two days. Hundreds of rockets have been launched into Israel by the Palestinian militant group controlling Gaza.

The attacks came a day after an escalation in Israeli airstrikes that included the deaths of a family of ten in a refugee camp, the majority of whom were children, and the pulverization of a high-rise building that housed The Associated Press and other media.

Late Saturday, US President Joe Biden spoke separately by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Biden has called for a de-escalation but has backed Israel's campaign. Despite this, Israel intensified its offensive, vowing to destroy Gaza's Hamas rulers' capabilities.

Israel has demolished a number of Gaza City's tallest office and residential buildings since the conflict began, claiming they house Hamas military infrastructure. On Saturday, it moved to the 12-story al-Jalaa Building, which houses the offices of the Associated Press, Al-Jazeera TV, and other news organizations, as well as several floors of apartments.

Following the attack, Netanyahu said in a televised address, "The campaign will continue as long as it is necessary." He said that inside the house, Hamas military intelligence was working.

As attempts to negotiate a cease-fire intensify, Israel appears to have stepped up strikes in recent days to inflict as much damage as possible on Hamas. A US diplomat is in the area, and the UN Security Council will meet on Sunday to try to de-escalate tensions.

The military said it hit the homes of Yehiyeh Sinwar, the most senior Hamas leader within the territory, and his brother Muhammad, a senior Hamas member, on Sunday. It demolished the home of Khalil al-Hayeh, a senior figure in Hamas' political branch, on Saturday.

Hamas' upper echelon has fled Gaza, and it's unlikely that all of them were at home when the strikes took place. Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' top official, splits his time between Turkey and Qatar, both of which provide the party with political support. Since the fighting began last Monday, Hamas and the militant group Islamic Jihad have confirmed the deaths of 20 fighters, although Israel claims the actual number is far higher.

At least 145 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in the most recent round of fighting, which is the worst since the 2014 Gaza war, including 41 children and 23 women. A five-year-old boy and a soldier were among the eight Israelis killed.

Since Monday, when tensions over a flashpoint holy site in Jerusalem and the threatened expulsion of hundreds of Palestinian families boiled over, Hamas and other militant groups have fired over 2900 rockets into Israel.

According to the Israeli military, about half of those missiles fell short or were intercepted, but rockets have entered major cities, causing widespread panic. Israeli warplanes bombed many buildings and roads in central Gaza City on Sunday. Residents and journalists shared photos of the airstrikes punching a crater that blocked one of the main roads leading to Shifa hospital, the strip's largest medical facility.

According to the Health Ministry, at least two people were killed and 25 others were injured in the latest airstrikes, including children and women. The Israeli military did not react immediately.

Israel often uses the involvement of Hamas as justification for airstrikes against specific targets, including residential buildings. The military has also accused the militant group of using journalists as human shields, but no proof has been given to back up the allegations.

The Associated Press had been based in Gaza for 15 years, including during three previous Israeli-Hamas wars. During those wars, as well as the current one, the news agency's cameras on the top floor office and roof terrace broadcast live footage as rebels fired rockets at Israel and Israeli airstrikes pounded the city and its environs.

The Associated Press president and chief executive Gary Pruitt said, "We have had no suggestion Hamas was in the building or involved in the building." “To the best of our capacity, this is something we constantly search. We will never intentionally endanger our journalists.“

The military contacted the building's owner in the afternoon and warned that a strike would be launched within an hour. Employees of the Associated Press and other inhabitants were safely evacuated. Three missiles struck the building shortly after, destroying it and sending it back down in a massive cloud of dust.

“As a result of what happened today, the world will know less about what is going on in Gaza,” Pruitt said. “We are stunned and appalled that the Israeli military will attack and kill the building in Gaza that houses the Associated Press bureau and other news organizations.“

Later, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Pruitt to express his support for independent journalists and media organizations, and the White House said it had spoken with Israel directly to encourage journalist protection.

Palestinians protested attempts by settlers to forcefully expel a number of Palestinian families from their homes in east Jerusalem earlier this month, as well as Israeli police steps at Al-Aqsa Mosque, a regular flashpoint situated on a mount in the Old City revered by Muslims and Jews.

Late Monday, Hamas launched rockets at Jerusalem, prompting Israel's attack on Gaza.

The unrest has also spread to the occupied West Bank, fueling demonstrations and inciting violence between Israel's Jewish and Arab residents, with clashes and vigilante attacks on people and property.