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Apologizing for his warning tweet that saw him accused of tricking the media, Israel Defense Forces Brigadier Gen. Hidai Zilberman pushed back against growing accusations that a previous tweet was used to gain a tactical advantage over Hamas this week.

The midnight strikes came shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a speech vowing that Israel will continue to strike Gaza "as long as necessary."

"The utterly appalling hostilities in Israel and Gaza could plunge the whole region into an uncontrollable crisis. The fighting must stop. The fighting must stop immediately." The ongoing situation "has the potential to unleash an uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis and to further foster extremism, not only in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel but in the region as a whole. The United Nations is actively engaging all sides toward an immediate ceasefire. Both sides must allow mediation efforts to intensify and succeed."

He also expressed dismay over growing civilian casualties in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and criticized the destruction of media offices in Gaza. Guterres' spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said in a statement on behalf of the United Nations secretary-general:

"The Secretary-General reminds all sides that any indiscriminate targeting of civilian and media structures violates international law and must be avoided at all costs. He is dismayed by the increasing number of civilian casualties, including the death of ten members of the same family, including children, as a result of an Israeli airstrike last night in the al-Shati camp in Gaza, purportedly aimed at a Hamas leader. He is deeply disturbed by the destruction by an Israeli airstrike today of a high-rise building in Gaza City that housed the offices of several international media organizations."

Despite criticism by the U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who urged both parties to stop the fighting immediately, Netanyahu responded:

"Our campaign against the terrorist organizations is continuing with full force. We are acting now, for as long as necessary, to restore calm and quiet to you, Israel's citizens. It will take time."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shifted all the blame for the deadly spiral of violence on Hamas in a Saturday night address, accusing the militant group of committing a "double war crime" - all while Israel is "doing everything possible to protect our civilians and keep Palestinian civilians out of harm's way."

Juliette Touma, UNICEF Chief of Communications for the Middle East and North Africa, told RT on Saturday. Touma called on all sides to stop fighting.

"It's a terrifying situation. Only in the past five days we have reported that at least 40 children have been killed in the Gaza Strip. Violence will not bring a solution. Violence will only bring more violence. It means children will suffer first, and they will suffer the most. Right now, when it comes to Gaza - no place is safe for children."

The spokesperson noted that more than 30 schools were damaged in Gaza and three in Israel. UNICEF is working on the ground to deliver medical supplies in the Palestinian Arab enclave, as many locals have found shelter in UN-run educational facilities. She added that two children were killed in Israel during the same period.

Gazan health officials said that the Palestinian death toll surpassed 180 on Sunday, with at least 52 victims being children. In Israel, 10 people were killed over the past week.

IDF spokesperson Brigadier General Hidai Zilberman confirmed to Israeli media that the military targeted the home of Yehiyeh Sinwar, the top Hamas leader in Gaza, who is said to live in the town of Khan Younis. Al Jazeera cited a Hamas TV station confirming Sinwar's home was attacked. The IDF also struck the home of his brother, another senior Hamas member, but it's not clear if the two shared a residence. It is also not known if Sinwar was at home during the raid.

US President Joe Biden, speaking with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, "reaffirmed his strong support for Israel".

Senior defence officials were reportedly urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Benny Gantz to start working toward a ceasefire. An end to the IDF operation was sought based on the understanding that the military had met most of its goals since the start of the operation on 10 May. The ceasefire would be mediated by Egypt - however, one issue which is on the agenda is Israel altering its position on Egyptian proposals to open ceasefire talks. If Hamas has a ceasefire proposal, Israel is willing to listen. Diplomatic activity has so far failed to achieve any breakthrough.

On Sunday, a building of the Labour Ministry in the Gaza Strip was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike, while a nearby building of the Ministry of Social Development was heavily damaged, stated the press service of the Gaza Strip government.

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Some tourists wear masks at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC

A day after the top US health agency eased Covid-19 mask restrictions, many people could still be seen walking around the capital Washington wearing face coverings.

Among them was a student, Chloe, who said she was fully vaccinated -- but was wearing her black face mask anyway.

"I think the announcement... was definitely a shock to a lot of people. It definitely was a shock to me," the student, who declined to give her last name, told AFP Friday.

Some tourists wear masks at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, where not everyone is ready to give up face coverings just yet

Chloe, 20, viewed the CDC announcement as "hopeful" but said she plans to keep wearing her mask for a while longer.

"If I see more people not wearing masks, it'll make me feel comfortable not wearing masks," she said. "And then just seeing the number of people who are vaccinated in the US will definitely help. If that number goes up, I might feel more comfortable taking it off."

But "it's really important to recognize that the pandemic's still going on."

Currently, only 36 percent of people are fully vaccinated in the United States, where the pandemic has killed more than 580,000.

This number is up for debate but it most certainly is not the figure Fauci & his ilk are claiming it to be. Note that in countries with light to no restrictions excess deaths were actually lower: Reuters: Sweden had 10% lower 2020 death spike than much of Europe

"Yesterday, I was not really into the idea" of going maskless, said Lauren, who wore a white cloth face mask. "Even though I'm vaccinated, what if there's some slight chance that I'm around somebody who's sick? A non-vaccinated person?"

The 36-year-old consultant, who also chose to only give her first name, told AFP she plans to keep her mask handy when she's out and decide whether to put it on based on a "day-to-day, even hour-to-hour feeling."

"It has kind of become a part of our face. I feel kind of bare without it," Lauren said, adding her mask sometimes can feel like a "security blanket."

For some, the programming is complete.

Health experts say it's normal to feel anxious about returning to normal life, given how hard the last year has been.

No it's not. Although it's understandable, because a year of fearmongering has resulted in soaring suicide rates and mental health issues.

But there is such a thing as being too careful, warns Dr. Amesh Adalja: "The science is showing that if you're fully vaccinated, the virus is going to treat you very differently, so you can act very differently."

We're barely 6 months into the vaccine experiment, and vaccines trials shows that it can take many years before the science on their impact is known.

Part of the problem, said Adalja, a senior scholar from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, is that the CDC was overly cautious during the pandemic and has now shocked people with what seems like a more aggressive step.

When the CDC announced Thursday that people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 no longer had to wear masks outdoors, President Joe Biden celebrated the decision, calling it a "great day" for the country hardest-hit by the pandemic.

Comedic takes flooded Twitter, but their humor belied users' deeper-seated anxiety over the issue.

"We don't have to wear masks anymore if we're vaccinated but what if I'm mistaken for a republican," another woman wrote, referring to political divisions over masks.

"This is a just a note to say that masks are like weighted face blankets and I'm keeping mine forever," tweeted author Glennon Doyle.

According to Adalja, "people didn't develop the ability to risk calculate."

"There just was a lot of precautionary principles that got carried away to a point that I think it's going to be hard for people who totally embraced all of that to jettison it," he told AFP.

But "what value are you deriving from the vaccine if you're not actually living your life?"

Lauren ultimately agrees: "I'm really desperate to see people's faces again," she said. "I want to be able to smile at people."

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