Scores Killed in Israeli Air Attacks on Gaza

More than 150 people were killed and hundreds more wounded Saturday during Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, which were launched in retaliation for last week’s rocket attacks on Israel by the Palestinians, according to Israeli officials.

Times Online:

Around 30 missiles destroyed security compounds run by the militant group Hamas in the centre of Gaza City, killing dozens and leaving many buried under the rubble.

More than 250 people have also been wounded in the attacks, said Gaza Health Ministry official Moawiya Hassanain.

The strikes came after the expiry of a truce with Hamas. Israel said they were launched in response to continued rocket fire by Palestinian militants against Israeli towns.

An Israeli military statement claimed the operation targeted “Hamas terror operatives” as well as training camps and weaponry storage warehouses.

Hamas immediately vowed to carry out revenge attacks on Israel. “Hamas will continue the resistance until the last drop of blood,” said the group’s spokesman Fawzi Barhoum, speaking on a Gaza radio station.

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AP photo / Hatem Omar

Palestinians carry a body out of the rubble after an Israeli missile strike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Saturday.