Dozens killed in fresh airstrikes in Gaza

Israel continues raids even after Egypt called for a ceasefire

GAZA CITY: Israeli air strikes pounded Gaza on Sunday, killing at least a dozen people, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the bloody offensive would continue as long as necessary.

Israel and Hamas, who have been fighting for 48 days, looked unlikely to end their deadly face-off even after Egypt called for an indefinite ceasefire and new truce talks to end a war that has killed more than 2,100 Palestinians and 68 Israelis, mostly soldiers.

One of Sunday’s air strikes killed Hamas financial official Mohammed al Ghul as he was travelling by car in Gaza City, Israel’s army said in a statement. Gaza medics confirmed the death.

A later strike on northern Gaza killed a mother and four children from the same family, medics said, bringing the day’s death toll to at least 14.

Israel’s offensive began with the stated aim of stamping out rocket attacks from Gaza and was later expanded to include the destruction of Hamas tunnels used for cross-border attacks inside Israel.

Israel also carried out 27 strikes on Sunday while 50 rockets were fired from Gaza, 47 of which hit the Jewish state, an army spokeswoman said.

The Israeli ambulance service said that three people were wounded by Palestinian fire at the Erez crossing point between Israel and Gaza, at least one of them seriously.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 25^th, 2014.