Israeli jets continue to bomb targets in the Gaza strip, as the death toll reaches 100
Gaza/Jerusalem : Hamas on Friday warned international airlines not to fly to Israel’s main Ben-Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, after the Palestinian militant group targeted the facility and managed to briefly halt air traffic. “In the light of Israel’s attacks on the residents of Gaza Strip.
The armed wing of Hamas movement has decided to respond to the Israeli aggression and we warn you against carrying out flights to Ben-Gurion airport, which will be one of our targets today because it also hosts a military air base,” a statement released by Hamas’ armed wing, Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, said. Incoming air traffic was halted from entering Israeli air space as sirens were sounded in the area, an airport spokesperson told the Jerusalem Post. Flight traffic was resumed as normal after the sirens subsided.
A spokesman for the Airports Authority said that a siren had sounded at Ben-Gurion and that all activity had stopped for about 10 minutes, but that the siren was part of a general alert in the Tel Aviv area and not a direct threat to the airport, an online report said. Several rockets from the Gaza Strip were fired on the greater Tel Aviv area this morning but were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system.
Israeli jets bomb Gaza,
death toll reaches 100: Israeli jets bombed the Gaza Strip for the fourth day on Friday killing 10 Palestinians as the death toll rose to 100 on a day when the Jewish state was targeted for the first time by rocket attacks from Lebanon since the military offensive began. Ten Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Friday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said. Five Palestinians were killed and 15 injured in Rafah after the Israeli air force targeted the Ghannam family home. A toddler was also killed in Rafah after being injured by shrapnel from an airstrike while another person was killed in eastern Rafah.
In Gaza City, Israeli warplanes targeted apartment building, killing one. “Two Palestinians were killed and a third was wounded in an Israeli strike that targeted a car belonging to the Bureij municipality,” ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said. He said that 100 Palestinians have been killed and over 600 injured in the Israeli offensive. Over 300 homes have been destroyed and around 2,000 Gazans are left homeless. Lebanon’s state-run news agency said two rockets were fired from the country. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the strikes.
Obama offers help to
broker ceasefire: A concerned US President Barack Obama offered to broker a ceasefire with Hamas as he called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Reaffirming US’ position that Israel has a right to defend itself and while condemning rocket attacks by Hamas and other Gaza-based militant groups, Obama told Netanyahu that he is prepared to facilitate a cessation of hostilities.
While it is still unclear as to what Netanyahu told the US President but he had ruled out a ceasefire with Hamas in the short-term on Thursday.
Harinder Mishra
