GAZA CITY: Sixteen Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip early Saturday, bringing the toll on the fifth day of violence to 121, medics said.
The latest strike killed three in the eastern Tufah neighbourhood of Gaza City, Gaza health ministry spokesperson Ashraf al Qudra said.
The raid came shortly after two people were killed in a strike that hit a charitable association for the disabled in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, and another three people died in an attack in western Gaza City.
Earlier, Qudra announced the deaths of eight other Palestinians, including a man who died of wounds sustained in an earlier strike, five people killed in Gaza's northern Jebaliya, and two further south in Deir el Balah.
Local officials said the morning's raids hit targets that included mosques and homes of Hamas officials, throughout the coastal enclave.
The latest fatalities raise the death toll to 121 since Israel began Operation Protective Edge early Tuesday in an attempt to halt cross-border rocket fire by militant groups.
Since then, militants have fired approximately 520 mortar rounds and rockets that struck Israel, while another 140 rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defence system, an Israeli army statement said late Friday.
It is the deadliest violence since November 2012, with a growing number of rockets fired at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and even as far north as Haifa.
So far, no Israelis have been killed.
An Israeli soldier was severely wounded in a mortar attack late Thursday, and another man was very seriously injured when a rocket hit a petrol station in the southern port city of Ashdod early Friday.
Two soldiers were lightly wounded along the border with Gaza when Palestinians fired an anti-tank missile.
And an elderly woman was slightly injured when a rocket hit her home in the southern city of Beersheva.
Israel has authorised the call-up of 40,000 reservist troops, and threatened a ground operation to stamp out the rocket fire.
COMMENTS (14)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
@zxx: Somehow you (conveniently) neglected to mention the name of that report that you claim (by statistics you provided) the Israelis have killed 1703 babies and children over the last 14 years! Please provide that report source so we can all read it! BTW, by what "by what standards of humanity" do you approve of Hamas firing large caliber surface to surface munitions into Israeli cities, hoping to slaughter Israeli women and children!
Israel is the master of their own desitny. Nobody can mess with them. I cannot believe those fools fired over 700 rockets at Israeli civilian centers. Israelis won't care about toothless and defunct UN. Hamas must take the responsibility for this unfortunate and avoidable civilian casuality. They as usual were hiding behind woman and babies and there by putting them in the harms way.
@Sameer @unbelievable so you guys think that someone fighting for justice of decades of killing, freedom of his soil and resources is not justified by whatever means you can fight back with? Palestinians are occupied by force since the beginning. They were made second class citizens in their once own homeland. Women are being raped and children being killed since decades. And according to a report since the last 14 years every 3rd day a Palestinian baby or a child was killed by Israel! And you guys put the blame on Palestinians? Shame on you and all the Muslims, including me. I just can vent down my feelings and after seeing these posts of ignorant Muslims it makes the matters worst. We Muslims in particular and World in general have failed to stand by the slightest standards of humanity. Shame on us all.
There is a undeniable similarity between Palestine and Pakistan. Both could have been developed and welfare state but they chose otherwise. Hamas and Let et al decided to use terrorism and militancy, fired rockets and bombed innocent civilians. If Palestine were to lay down their guns tomorrow, there would be no war. If Israel were to lay down theirs, there would be no Israel- said Benjamin Netanyahu. Same is with Kashmir, if Pakistan decides to end support for terrorist, there would be peace, but if India decides to demilitarize there would be no Kashmir, what would remain is an extremist impoverished region, cut off from welfare and development and becoming breeding ground of fundamentalism.
@Aschraful Makhlooq: Sounds great .. but you ignored the Elephant in the Room. Israel would never have started bombing if Hamas hadn't started launching rockets. Both sides should be condemned.
@FK: What did you expect from a country whose army made up of hindu ancestors has been involved in bombing its very American weapons which the Israelis use, on the waziri families who in millions have been thrown out of their houses. In Gaza the Israelis have just started the carnage from air, sea and land, .the Palestinians are imprisioned from the Israelis as well as by the army. of Pharaohan ancestors! God almighty is the only source from where the Help will come and in its own choosing of time. All muslims must fast until then.
Rex Minor the only
Does anyone even know why the operation was started? if someone is shooting at my house every morning I will not wait for a family member to get hurt or die before a responce. I will not take the moral highground of pacifism but will respond with disproportionate force.
Has anyone particularly those Palestinian civilians who are suffering have asked Hamas to stop missile attack on Israel? Once Hamas stops then Israel can be forced to stop.
Gaza death toll and Israeli barbarism is suppose to be the global headline line, which needs condemnation at all level.
I confess that I am ashamed of myself and for the Muslim world for being Spineless.
Taliban killed more Pakistanis than number of palestinians killed by Israelites. I did not see this kind of internet activism and condemnation against Taliban. Hypocrisy of Pakistanis at its best.
And our leaders as usual are silent as rats. Our leadership, every muslim country, has proved to the world they are the epitome of incompetence and cowardice.
Please don't disturb because eunuchs Arab and other muslim countries' leaders are sleeping in peace,calm and tranquility and if this is done by any muslims the advanced Western and European countries declare it the terrorism and US and NATO forces conduct the military operation against the muslims on the name of peace and security in the world.Israel is doing all this on behalf of US only by taking the full advantage of disunity amongst the muslim countries and muslims.....