U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken participates in a virtual bilateral meeting with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta at the State Department Washington, U.S. April 27, 2021. REUTERS/Leah Millis.

i24 News – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he spoke with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Wednesday, urging an end to rocket attacks as Gaza terrorists targeted Tel Aviv and other central Israeli cities.

“I spoke with President Abbas about the ongoing situation in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza,” Blinken tweeted. “I expressed condolences for the loss of life. I emphasized the need to end rocket attacks and deescalate tensions.”

Terrorists from the Gaza Strip targeted Israeli communities overnight in the central part of the country, including Tel Aviv. One rocket landed in a residential area in Petach Tikva, with a fire breaking out in a building. No one was seriously injured.

Israel’s military said it killed several Hamas commanders and destroyed major buildings used by the organization in airstrikes overnight, including a home belonging to a battalion leader.

Earlier, Blinken said he thought “Israel has an extra burden in trying to do everything they possibly can to avoid civilian casualties.”

Violence also broke out between Arab-Israeli and Jewish civilians in communities throughout the country, with lynchings reported in Bat Yam, Umm al-Fahm, and Acre.