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Ten die in mosque attack as Israel blasts 40 targets
Source: Agencies |
January 4, 2009, Sunday
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ISRAELI warplanes, gunboats and artillery units blasted more than 40 Hamas targets yesterday, including weapons storage facilities, training centers and leaders' homes as Israel's offensive against Gaza's Islamic militant rulers entered a second week.
Israeli air strikes that waned during Saturday gathered pace after dark. One raid hit a mosque in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, killing 10 people and wounding 33, seven critically, according to a Palestinian health official.
They also killed a senior Hamas commander, and desperate residents of the Palestinian enclave sheltered in their homes as basic foodstuffs in the densely populated zone were running short and fresh water supplies were limited because of damage to the systems, humanitarian agencies said. Hospitals were struggling to cope with the casualties.
An overnight Israeli air strike killed Abu Zakaria al-Jamal, a senior commander of Hamas's armed wing, yesterday, the Islamist group said. On Thursday, another Hamas leader, Nizar Rayyan, was killed and most of Hamas's senior officials have gone into hiding to evade assassination attempts by Israel.
In a sign that the offensive was entering a new phase, Israeli artillery units attacked Gaza for the first time, military officials said. The shelling was seen as a possible signal that a ground invasion could be nearing.
"We will do all that is necessary to provide a different reality for southern Israel, which has been under constant attack for the past eight years," Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said.
Israeli defense officials said some 10,000 troops, including tank, artillery and special operations units, were massed on the Gaza border and prepared to invade.
At the same time, international cease-fire efforts were also gaining momentum. French President Nicolas Sarkozy will visit the region next week to try to end the violence, and US President George W. Bush and UN chief Ban Ki-moon both spoke in favor of an internationally monitored truce.
But Hamas, in its first reaction to the proposal on Saturday, reacted coolly to the idea of international monitors.
Israel launched the offensive on December 27 in response to intensifying rocket fire by Hamas militants in Gaza. The operation has killed more than 430 Palestinians, including dozens of civilians, according to Palestinian and UN counts.
Israeli air strikes that waned during Saturday gathered pace after dark. One raid hit a mosque in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, killing 10 people and wounding 33, seven critically, according to a Palestinian health official.
They also killed a senior Hamas commander, and desperate residents of the Palestinian enclave sheltered in their homes as basic foodstuffs in the densely populated zone were running short and fresh water supplies were limited because of damage to the systems, humanitarian agencies said. Hospitals were struggling to cope with the casualties.
An overnight Israeli air strike killed Abu Zakaria al-Jamal, a senior commander of Hamas's armed wing, yesterday, the Islamist group said. On Thursday, another Hamas leader, Nizar Rayyan, was killed and most of Hamas's senior officials have gone into hiding to evade assassination attempts by Israel.
In a sign that the offensive was entering a new phase, Israeli artillery units attacked Gaza for the first time, military officials said. The shelling was seen as a possible signal that a ground invasion could be nearing.
"We will do all that is necessary to provide a different reality for southern Israel, which has been under constant attack for the past eight years," Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said.
Israeli defense officials said some 10,000 troops, including tank, artillery and special operations units, were massed on the Gaza border and prepared to invade.
At the same time, international cease-fire efforts were also gaining momentum. French President Nicolas Sarkozy will visit the region next week to try to end the violence, and US President George W. Bush and UN chief Ban Ki-moon both spoke in favor of an internationally monitored truce.
But Hamas, in its first reaction to the proposal on Saturday, reacted coolly to the idea of international monitors.
Israel launched the offensive on December 27 in response to intensifying rocket fire by Hamas militants in Gaza. The operation has killed more than 430 Palestinians, including dozens of civilians, according to Palestinian and UN counts.
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