At least 22 Palestinians including nine children have been martyred in Israeli airstrikes on the besieged Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed these attacks. 

Meanwhile, The UN Security Council holds an urgent meeting on the unrest in Jerusalem but issued no immediate statement, with diplomats saying the United States believed public comments would be counterproductive.  

A spokesperson for the US mission to the UN said the United States is engaging constructively to ensure any action by the Security Council is helpful in de-escalating tensions.

The bloodshed has prompted statements of deep concern from governments and international organizations, and pleas for an end to the violence.

Meanwhile, the US, the European Union and the UK have urged Israel and the Palestinians to lower tensions as soon as possible.

In Turkey, thousands of people rallied outside the Israeli embassy in Ankara and the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul in protest against recent Israeli violence against Palestinians.

The protesters in Istanbul carried Palestinian flags and chanted, slogans against the Israel.