New Israeli Strikes On Gaza

Israel's warplanes and artillery early on Thursday attacked different homes, mosques and farmlands across the Gaza Strip.



Among the things targeted by the warplanes and the artillery were homes and farmlands in the eastern part of Gaza City as well as areas in the southern Gaza Strip City of Khan Younis, eyewitnesses said.



An eyewitness said Hamza Mosque in the southwestern Gaza City neighborhood of Tal Al-Hawa was shelled during the raid. He did not, however, report any human casualties from the shelling.



Israel's warplanes on Wednesday attacked three mosques in different parts of the Gaza Strip.



Israel's artillery also shelled homes in the Gaza City, the central Gaza Strip City of Deir Al-Balah and the southern City of Khan Younis.



Since July 7, Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip with fierce aerial bombardments with the ostensible aim of halting rocket fire from the strip, leaving 1363 people dead and more than 7680 others injured.



The vast majority of the dead and injured victims are civilians: children, women and elderly people. 



Gaza-based resistance factions, meanwhile, have continued to fire rocket at Israeli cities in response to relentless Israeli bombardments.



According to official Israeli figures, 53 Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed since the hostilities began.



Israel's military operation, dubbed operation "Protective Edge," is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive against the densely-populate Gaza Strip – which is home to some 1.8 million Palestinians – within the last six years.



In 2008/9, over 1500 Palestinians were killed in Israel's three-week-long operation "Cast Lead."



By Mustafa Haboosh



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Gazze