Israel bombards at least 150 targets in Gaza

09 July 2014

Israeli aerial assault on West Bank/Gaza killed 25 people

Israel’s air force has bombarded at least 150 targets in the Gaza strip in the night of 8 July. That brings the total amount of targets it has hit since starting its offensive on 7 July to 440.

The aerial assault killed 25 people, according to US press agency AP.

Hamas’ militants fired about 160 rockets at Israel, including a strike that reached the northern city of Hadera for the first time, while Israel said it attacked more than 150 sites across Gaza.

Israel and Hamas have engaged in a cycle of rocket attacks into Israeli towns and airstrikes on Gaza targets for more than a week, which could continue in the coming days.

“I call on you to display patience because this operation could take time,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on national television.

In a statement published on 8 July, Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian national unity government, demanded a halt to Israel’s offensive and called on the international community “to immediately intervene to halt this dangerous escalation, which will lead the region towards more destruction and instability”.

The escalation of tensions on the border of Gaza coincides with heavy violence and protests in east Jerusalem and northern Israel since the beginning of July. The conflicts were prompted by the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers, which was followed by the revenge killing of a Palestinian teenager.

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