Israel opposes rocket attacks, throwing Gaza on fire with weapons

Israel opposes rocket attacks, throwing Gaza on fire with weapons

Israel opposes rocket attacks, throwing Gaza on fire with weapons

Gaza/Jerusalem : Israel pummelled Gaza with artillery fire and air strikes on Friday, killing 13 people including three children, local health officials said, as it targeted Palestinian militant tunnels to try to stop persistent rocket attacks on Israeli towns.

The largest Israeli operation against a specific target since the conflict began included 160 aircraft as well as tanks and artillery firing from outside the Gaza Strip, Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said. Rocket barrages against southern Israel swiftly followed the 40-minute pre-dawn offensive on the fifth day of the most serious fighting between Israel and Gaza militants since 2014.

Gaza’s ruling Hamas group launched the rocket attacks at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in retaliation for Israeli police clashes with Palestinians in Jerusalem. At least 122 people have been killed and 900 wounded in Gaza, Palestinian medical officials said.

Among eight dead in Israel were a soldier and two children, Israeli officials said. — Reuters