GAZA, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Monday continued
raids into the Gaza Strip for the third day, bringing more casualties in the
unprecedented offensive into the Hamas-controlled territory.
In return, Palestinian militant groups fired rockets into Israel from Gaza, killing an Israeli resident of Ashkelon, a coastal city in northern Israel.
Palestinians look at a destroyed mosque after an Israeli air strike in Jabalya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip Dec. 29, 2008. Israeli aircraft attacked Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip for a third day on Monday and militants launched a fatal rocket attack on Israel in defiance of an offensive that has killed more than 300 Palestinians. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
The attack mainly targeted Hamas-run security
establishments and police stations, with some mosques and houses being also hit
by the now-and-then airstrikes.
"The number of martyrs is 310 and the wounded people
who are now in hospitals is more than 800, many of whom don't find vacuum beds,"
said Mo'aweya Hassanein, director of emergencies at Gaza health ministry.
A Palestinian man carries the body of
his 4-year-old daughter Dena Balosha during the funeral for her and her
four sisters in Jabalya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip Dec. 29,
2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
In the latest strikes that involved civilian
fatalities, five sisters, aged between four to 15, were killed when Israeli F16
warplanes hit a mosque near their house in Jabaliya refugee camp in northern
Gaza Strip, witnesses and medical sources said.
The witnesses said the bombardment destroyed the
two-story mosque, located between houses in the most densely populated refugee
camps in the Gaza Strip. They added that the simple house of Anouar Balousha was
very close to the mosque and many flying debris fell in the house, killing his
five girls.
Earlier, Israeli warplanes attacked and destroyed
several buildings in the Islamic University of Gaza. The installation that
harbors the scientific labs and another building in the female sector of the
campus were the targets.
In the morning, Israeli gunboats fired several
missiles on Gaza coast, targeting fishing boats in Gaza sea port.
Meanwhile, in addition to the fatality, tens of
Israelis were also wounded and suffered from shock in Ashkelon. In a statement
sent to media, Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, sayingit hit the
city with a Soviet-made Grad missile.¡¡
Egyptians participate in a pro-Gaza
rally in Cairo Dec. 28, 2008. Israel on Sunday continued intensive air
strikes on the besieged Gaza Strip for the second successive day, killing
285 Palestinians so far in a powerful offensive aimed to halt nearly daily
cross-border rocket attacks.(Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
CAIRO, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian border with
the Palestinian territory of Gaza Strip is under pressure as the Palestinians in
the costal enclave tried to cross into Egypt to flee the Israeli attacks that
entered the second day on Sunday.
On Sunday afternoon, Israeli warplanes began to
strike by rockets the borderline between southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah and
Egypt, aiming at destroying hundreds of underground tunnels, witnesses in Rafah
said. Full story
GAZA BORDER, Israel, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Roye, 36, was at
his home in Jerusalem with his wife and two children to enjoy a family dinner
for Jewish holiday Hanukkah and Shabbat. Suddenly, his phone screeched and
didn't stop ringing as he was drafted as a reservist.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is calling 6,500
reservists to duty as part of the military offensive on the Hamas-ruled Gaza
Strip, which started on Saturday, according to local daily Ha'aretz on its
website. Full story
Smoke rises after an Israel air strike in Gaza Dec. 28, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
GAZA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Israeli F16 warplanes resumed on
Sunday night another round of airstrikes on security and police installations
belonging to Hamas movement as well as other targets, including cars and
buildings. Full story
BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Saturday
morning launched a massive air raid which it said was targeted at Hamas
militants in the Gaza Strip, killing at least 225 and wounding 700,a move that
has drawn condemnation from many countries and world bodies. Full story
