Gaza hospital shelled as Israel vows no let up in war on Hamas
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ISRAELI tank shells struck a hospital in the Gaza Strip yesterday, killing at least four people and wounding 60, as Israel’s defense minister vowed to press on with the war against Hamas “as long as necessary.”
Meanwhile, United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon and United States Secretary of State John Kerry headed to Cairo to try to renew cease-fire efforts aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas fighting that has killed at least 530 Palestinians, including over 100 children, and 20 Israelis and displaced tens of thousands of Gazans in the past two weeks.
Despite the new diplomatic push, Israel continued to attack targets in the densely populated coastal strip from the air and from tanks, while Hamas fired more rockets and tried to infiltrate into Israel.
A dozen shells hit the al-Aqsa hospital in the town of Deir el-Balah yesterday, Palestinian health official Ashraf al-Kidra said. He said four people were killed and 60 wounded when the shells landed in the administration building, the intensive care unit and the surgery department.
Live footage on Hamas’ al-Aqsa TV station showed wounded being moved on gurneys into the emergency department.
The Israeli military said it was looking into the report.
In one of several air strikes, 25 people were buried under the rubble of a home in the southern town of Khan Younis, including 24 from the same family. Rescue workers pulled the bodies from the wreckage yesterday.
“Twenty-five people!” said family member Sabri Abu Jamea. “Doesn’t this indicate that Israel is ruthless? Are we the liars?”
Another Israeli air strike hit the home of the Siyam family in southern Gaza, near the town of Rafah, said the Palestinian Center for Human Rights. The strike killed 10 people, including four young children and a 9-month-old baby, al-Kidra said.
Hamas militants, meanwhile, tried to sneak into Israel through two tunnels, the latest in a series of such attempts. The Israeli military said 10 infiltrators were killed.
Hamas also fired 50 more rockets at Israel, including two at Tel Aviv, causing no injuries or damage. Since the start of the Israeli operation, Hamas has fired almost 2,000 rockets.
Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said the Gaza military operation would have no time limit. “If needed we will recruit more reservists in order to continue the operation as long as necessary until the completion of the task and the return of the quiet in the whole of Israel especially from the threat of the Gaza Strip,” Yaalon told a parliamentary committee.
Israel accepted an Egyptian call for an unconditional cease-fire last week, but resumed its offensive after Hamas rejected the proposal.
Hamas says that before halting fire, it wants guarantees that Israel and Egypt will significantly ease a seven-year border blockade of Gaza.
“The resistance (Hamas) will not respond to any pressure,” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a text message.
Israel invaded Gaza late last week, preceded by a 10-day air campaign. Air and artillery strikes have targeted Gaza’s border areas in a bid to destroy tunnels and rocket launchers.
Sunday marked the single deadliest day in Gaza since the conflict erupted on July 8, with over 100 Palestinians killed.
In response to the escalation, the UN Security Council expressed “serious concern” about the rising civilian death toll and demanded an immediate end to the fighting.
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