By Nidal al-Mughrabi, Rami Ayyub Danya Bazaraa
(MIRRORS.co.uk) Israel launched dozens of air strikes on the Gaza strip as Palestinian militants fired rocket barrages at Israeli cities in what could be the ‘deadliest day so far’.
Gaza health officials put the death toll since the hostilities flared at 198, including 58 children and 34 women. Ten people have been killed in Israel, including two children, Israeli authorities say.
The pre-dawn raids on Gaza were among the heaviest seen since the fighting started up again a week ago, the BBC reported. Gaza officials said Sunday had been the deadliest day of the flare-up so far.
Hamas began its rocket assault last Monday after weeks of tensions over a court case to evict several Palestinian families in East Jerusalem, and in retaliation for Israeli police clashes with Palestinians near the city’s al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Israel bombed what it said were underground tunnels used by Hamas while Palestinian militants fired rocket barrages at Israeli cities as fighting spilled into a second week today. After a night of heavy Israeli air strikes on areas across the Islamist Hamas-run enclave,
Israel’s military said:
Gaza militants had fired about 60 rockets towards Israeli cities overnight, down from 120 and 200 the two previous nights.