Fighting escalates in Gaza and Israel
ROCKETS FIRED AMID AIR STRIKES
GAZA militants have fired dozens of rockets at southern Israel, killing a man in a strike on a residential building and vowing to further escalate their attacks if Israel keeps bombing the Palestinian territory.
As fighting raged throughout the day, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu met his security cabinet to plot a way forward.
The heavy exchange of fire, triggered by a botched Israeli undercover raid into Hamas-ruled Gaza on Sunday, marked the most serious escalation since an Israelhamas war in 2014.
International mediators have appealed for restraint, hoping to avert another war.
The Israeli military said some 400 rockets and mortars have been launched from Gaza since Monday afternoon, with about 100 of them intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defence system.
Israel said it has struck more than 100 targets it says are linked to militants in Gaza, including one assault that destroyed Hamas’ TV station. Three other buildings believed to be connected to Hamas were destroyed, it said.
Yesterday, Gaza’s health ministry said two Palestinians in their 20s were killed in separate air strikes, raising the number killed since the Israeli offensive began to six, including four militants. At least 25 people have been injured.
Nearly 30 people have been wounded in Israel, three critically, according to medical officials.