Israeli air strikes level 12-floor apartment block in Gaza after using automated phone call to give residents just ten minutes' warning to get out with automate
At least 18 people including four children were injured when
the block in Gaza City, containing 44 flats, was hit by two Israeli
missiles. Just hours later a seven-storey office building and a shopping
centre were destroyed in the southern town of Rafah. The latest strikes
have signalled a new escalation in seven weeks of fighting, with the
targeting of large buildings apparently a new military tactic by
Israel.
Israeli air strikes level 12-floor apartment block in Gaza after giving residents just ten minutes' warning to get out
- 22 people, including four children, injured when the building in Gaza City was hit by at least two missiles
- Seven-storey office block and a shopping centre were also bombed in the southern town of Rafah this morning
- Residents received an automated phone call telling them buildings harbouring militants would be targeted
- Attacks mark the first time Israeli forces have targeted tall buildings since fighting began on July 8
- A total of eight people killed in today's airstrikes, Palestinian health officials confirm
- Four homes, one belonging to a Hamas member, destroyed in an air strike in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis
- Strike on a car kills Mohammed al-Ghoul, described as Hamas official responsible for 'terror fund transactions'
- Mother and her three children killed when their home in the Jabalya refugee camp was bombed
Israeli
airstrikes levelled a 12-floor apartment block in Gaza City, injuring
22 people including four children, after residents were reportedly given
just ten minutes' warning to get out.
The
tower block, containing 44 flats, collapsed in a cloud of fire and
smoke after it was hit by at least two missiles, and was followed just
hours later by the bombing of a seven-storey office building as well as a
shopping centre in the southern town of Rafah early this morning.
The
latest series of strikes, which have killed a total of eight people,
have signalled a new escalation in seven weeks of fighting, with the
targeting of large buildings apparently a new military tactic by Israel.
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Destroyed: A 12-storey apartment block
collapses in a cloud of fire and smoke after it was hit by at least two
missiles in Gaza City. Some 22 people, including four children were
injured in the attack, which came after residents were given just ten
minutes' warning that they should evacuate
Further attacks: Early this morning a
seven-storey office building and shopping centre were destroyed by
airstrikes in the southern town of Rafah
Blaze: Smoke and fire can be seen
billowing from the site of the shopping centre in Rafah, which was
gutted by flames following the airstrike
Flames:
After daybreak this morning, smoke was still rising from the site, which
contained dozens of stores, as shop owners inspected the damage, while
windows and doors in neighbouring buildings had been blown out
Over
the weekend, the army began warning Gaza residents in automated phone
calls that it would target buildings harboring 'terrorist
infrastructure' and that they should stay away.
A
senior military official confirmed that Israel has a policy of striking
at buildings containing Hamas operational centers or those from which
military activities are launched. The official said each strike required
prior approval from military lawyers and is carried out only after the
local population is warned.
However, the official - speaking anonymously - said, there was now a widening of locations that the military can target.
Grief: A crying woman is comforted as
she sees the devastation done to the apartment block. Over the weekend,
the army began warning Gaza residents in automated phone calls that it
would target buildings harboring 'terrorist infrastructure' and that
they should stay away
Warning: A senior military official
confirmed that Israel has a policy of striking at buildings containing
Hamas operational centers or those from which military activities are
launched. The official said each strike required prior approval from
military lawyers and is carried out only after the local population is
warned
Help: Two rescuers help carry an injured man, hurt when the tower was struck by missiles, to safety
Elsewhere,
five rockets were fired from Syria and fell in open areas in northern
Israel. It was not immediately clear whether they were fired by
pro-government forces or rebel groups.
Amid
persistent violence, Egypt has continued to urge Israel and the
Palestinians to resume indirect talks in Cairo on a durable cease-fire,
but has stopped short of issuing invitations.
Several
rounds of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas have collapsed, along
with the temporary cease-fires that accompanied them. The gaps between
Israel and the Islamic militant group on a new border deal for blockaded
Gaza remain vast, and there has been no sign that either is willing to
budge.
Treatment: The injured man is given medical help by emergency workers after he was carried away from the site of the blast
Disbelief: A man walks past the
remains of the building, where items such as curtains and furniture can
be seen amidst the rubble
The Israeli military said it had carried out some 20 strikes on Gaza since midnight on Saturday.
In
Rafah, Israeli aircraft bombed the seven-story Zourab building, which
houses an office of the Hamas-run Interior Ministry. Witnesses said the
building was levelled and that the strikes caused severe damage to
nearby shops, homes and cars.
Another
strike hit a nearby shopping center with dozens of shops, sparking a
fire that gutted the two-story building. After daybreak this morning,
smoke was still rising from the site as shop owners inspected the
damage, while windows and doors in neighbouring buildings had been blown
out.
Palestinian officials said three people were injured.
Razed to rubble: All that remains of
the al-Zafer apartment block after it was destroyed in an Israeli
airstrike which struck downtown Gaza City yesterday
Surveying the damage: Palestinians inspect the site as one man takes pictures of the devastating damage on his mobile phone
Sombre: The U.N. estimates that more
than 17,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged beyond repair since the
war began on July 8. In some of the attacks, family homes with three or
four floors were razed to the ground
Rescue mission: Palestinian firefighters work to reopen a main road in front of the rubble of al-Zafer apartment tower
Death toll: More than 2,100
Palestinians, including close to 500 children, have been killed,
according to Palestinian health officials and U.N. figures. Israel has
lost 64 soldiers and four civilians
Morning after: A young Palestinian boy looks out of a car window as it drives past the rubble of the residential tower
Danger: Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu today warned Gaza residents to leave any site where
Palestinian militants were operating, saying the locations could be
attacked
Drama: Israeli aircraft had first
fired a non-explosive rocket at the building, a sign to residents to get
out, before attacking it on Saturday
Waste: A pile of debris where the ravaged apartment building once stood
The
military said the two buildings were attacked because they housed
facilities linked to militants, but did not provide details. The Gaza
City apartment tower toppled yesterday was targeted because a Hamas
command center operated from there, the army said.
Video
footage taken close to the scene showed a huge explosion as the Al
Zafer building was engulfed in a fireball and collapsed in a cloud of
smoke and dust.
Israeli
aircraft had first fired a non-explosive rocket at the building, a sign
to residents to get out, before attacking it on Saturday.
Israel launched more air strikes on Gaza on Sunday, killing eight Palestinians, medical officials said.
Gutted: A Palestinian woman and child
look at the charred remains of a car that was targeted by an Israeli
airstrike in Gaza City this morning
Charred remains: Palestinians gather around what is left of the shopping centre as they picked through the rubble at the site
Wrecked: Once filled with shoppers, the two-storey commercial centre has been completely gutted by fire
Target: The military said the shopping
centre and the office block were attacked because they housed
facilities linked to militants, but did not provide details
Reasoning: Israel says it is targeting
sites linked to militants, including rocket launchers, command centers
and weapons depots. The U.N. says about three-quarters of the
Palestinians killed have been civilians
Calls for peace: Egypt has called on
Israel and the Palestinians to halt hostilities and resume peace talks,
but both sides kept up attacks
Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today warned Gaza residents to leave
any site where Palestinian militants were operating, saying the
locations could be attacked.
'I
call on the inhabitants of Gaza to vacate immediately every site from
which Hamas is carrying out terrorist activity. Every one of these
places is a target for us,' he said during a broadcast.
Israel's
President Reuven Rivlin today joined the hundreds of mourners who
attended the funeral of a four-year-old Israeli boy, Daniel Tregerman,
who was killed by a mortar bomb close to the Gaza border on Friday.
Hours
after Mr Netanyahu spoke, a cluster of four homes, one belonging to a
Hamas member, was destroyed in an air strike in the southern Gaza town
of Khan Younis, neighbours said.
Ten
people were wounded by flying debris, but no fatalities were reported.
Neighbours said about ten minutes before the attack, a warning missile
was fired and residents fled.
Palestinian
health official Ashraf al-Kidra, who confirmed the casualty figures for
the strikes, said two people were killed in a pair of airstrikes near a
coastal road on Sunday, including one on a group of people coming out
of a mosque after morning prayers.
Two more people died when a motorcycle following a car evacuating the wounded from the strikes was targeted, he said.
Another
man was killed in an airstrike on a car, while an 18-month-old toddler
and a 17-year-old were killed in an airstrike on an apartment building
in Gaza City. Three people were killed in an airstrike on a house in
Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, police said.
In
Gaza City, an Israeli strike on a car killed Mohammed al-Ghoul,
described by the Israeli military as a Hamas official responsible for
'terror fund transactions'. U.S. dollars were found in the wrecked
vehicle, witnesses said.
Parents: The parents of Daniel
Tregerman, a four-year-old Israeli boy killed by a mortar bomb yesterday
comfort one another before his funeral today
Mouring: Family members grieve for the
youngster, who was the first Israeli casualty since the collapse of the
temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas
In attendance: The funeral was attended by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin
Hit: Daniel was killed when a mortar, which Israel says was fired from Gaza, hit the farming village where he lived
Support: Family members comfort one another as they lay Daniel to rest
Funeral: The family of Daniel
Tregerman stand close to his grave after the four-year-old's burial
ceremony in Hevel Shalom, Israel, today
Ghoul was targeted three days after Israel assassinated three top Hamas commanders in the southern Gaza Strip.
Militants
kept up constant rocket and mortar strikes on southern Israel, wounding
three Israelis at the Erez border crossing with the Gaza Strip. The
military said more than 70 rockets were launched on Sunday alone.
Hamas
spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri described Netanyahu's warnings to Gazans to
steer clear of potential targets 'a clear example of war crimes' against
Gaza's civilian population.
The
U.N. estimates that more than 17,000 homes have been destroyed or
damaged beyond repair since the war began on July 8. In some of the
attacks, family homes with three or four floors were razed to the
ground.
However, the weekend strikes marked the first time large buildings were toppled.
Since
the fighting began, Israel has launched some 5,000 airstrikes at Gaza,
while Gaza militants have fired close to 4,000 rockets and mortars,
according to the Israeli military.
More
than 2,100 Palestinians, including close to 500 children, have been
killed, according to Palestinian health officials and U.N. figures.
Israel has lost 64 soldiers and four civilians.
Explosion: A house in the Al-Shatea
refugee camp in Gaza City is struck in an apparent Israeli airstrike,
sending debris flying through the air
Carnage: Clothing, bricks and pieces
of furniture are hurled through the air in the force of the blast, which
killed a mother and her three children
Explosion: A thick cloud of dust is
formed as the building collapses following the strike on the house. It
was not immediately clear why the dwelling was hit, and neighbours said
no warning was given
Clearing: As the smoke clears, the remains of the property can be seen through the thick dust
Blast: Palestinians take cover behind a tree as they shield themselves from the blast
Israel
says it is targeting sites linked to militants, including rocket
launchers, command centers and weapons depots. The U.N. says about
three-quarters of the Palestinians killed have been civilians.
Many
families in Gaza have been sheltering at U.N.-run schools, and the
start of the school year has been delayed indefinitely by the Gaza
Education Ministry.
Scott
Anderson, Deputy Director of Gaza operations for the United Nations
Relief and Works Agency, said although school has been cancelled,
instruction could be provided by other means.
'It
is very important that we use our satellite channel, our Internet
active learning program, the computer labs and the self-help material -
all these lessons we learnt in Syria and they have proved to be very
successful there,' he said, referring to remote schooling during Syria's
civil war.
Innocents: Palestinian children line up in the courtyard of a UN school, that has become a shelter for hundreds of families
Tragedy: Around 500 Palestinian children have been killed since fighting started on July 8
War: Hamas has said it will not stop
fighting until the Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza is lifted. Both
Israel and Egypt view Hamas as a security threat and are reluctant to
make sweeping concessions without guarantees weapons will not enter the
economically crippled enclave
A welcome distraction: The children try to forget their problems by playing with hoops in the grounds of the school
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