Israeli strikes on Gaza killed 31 people on Thursday as a major air campaign entered its third day, with most of the bloodshed in the southern city of Khan Yunis.
The deaths raised to 82 the overall number of Gazans killed since Israel launched Operation Protective Edge early on Tuesday in a bid to halt cross-border rocket fire by militant groups.
Most deaths occurred in Khan Yunis when a strike hit a café around noon time where football fans were watching the World Cup semi-final between Argentine and the Netherlands. Nine people were killed, and at least 15 wounded, emergency services spokesman Ashraf al Qudra said.
An hour later, Israeli warplanes struck two houses elsewhere in the city, killing four women and four children. Another strike on the city killed a 19-year-old man and his 75-year-old father. A four-year-old child, who was also injured in one of the strikes on Khan Yunis, succumbed to her injuries during the day.
In central Gaza, a man was killed in a strike on Nusseirat refugee camp. In Zeitun, east of Gaza City, a missile killed a man on a motorbike in the late afternoon. Another man was killed in a strike on the northern town of Jabaliya at around the same time.
Hours earlier, a strike on a car elsewhere in Jabaliya killed three men, all of them members of the al Quds Brigades, a fellow member told AFP.
Earlier, a strike on a car in the west of Gaza City killed a 35-year-old man and two others.
There have been no Israeli deaths so far, but Hamas has launched waves of rockets across central Israel that have triggered sirens in cities as far from Gaza as Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa.
Meanwhile, the world's largest Muslim bloc urged the UN Security Council to force a halt to Israel's air war on Gaza that has killed more than 80 Palestinians in three days.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 11th, 2014.
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@unbelievable: Its unbelievable how ignorant you are. People there are living life in Apartheid, Muslims there are discriminated and have no real voice. This is the country where even Judiciary discriminates and takes sides with Zionists. Sham democracy, sham judiciary, sham human right activists. A country seen as a symbol of Apartheid, Barbarism, Injustice, amoral by whole of the World except few governments.
@Hmm: So you justify killing of infants, women and innocent civilians because three teens were killed. Killing of any innocent person is a criminal act. Supporting Israel on this pretext shows thinking of morally bankrupt individuals and nations. And you are alone not mighty. You always stood on the shoulders of USA to stand out. Take his support off and you are impotent.
@Hmm: Easy to portray this as Muslim vs Jew but that's rubbish. Israel's own population is over 30% Muslim and they enjoy rights, education, freedom that few Muslims enjoy in their own country. Hamas started launching rockets .... Israel responded with bombs - no different that Pakistan would do if TTP or any other Muslim terrorist outfit started launching rockets.
@ hmm, Maybe Qatar and the UAE should invoke their defense pact with India, and India can fight against Israel.
"Meanwhile, the world’s largest Muslim bloc urged the UN Security Council to force a halt to Israel’s air war on Gaza that has killed more than 80 Palestinians in three days" --See , 100 plus countries have no match against a tiny Jewish country . But where were they when 3 jewsih teens were killed by Islamic terrorists .