- Title: MIDDLE EAST: Airstrikes in Gaza Strip kill more than 140, sources say
- Date: 27th December 2008
- Summary: ISRAELI SIDE OF BORDER WITH GAZA (DECEMBER 27, 2008) (REUTERS) SMOKE BILLOWING FROM ISRAELI AIR STRIKES ON GAZA AS SEEN FROM ISRAELI SIDE OF BORDER ISRAELI TANK BESIDE OUTPOST VARIOUS OF SMOKE BILLOWING FROM ISRAELI AIR STRIKES ON GAZA AS SEEN FROM ISRAELI SIDE OF BORDER
- Embargoed: 11th January 2009 12:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
- Reuters ID: LVA1WFWXM3ZAM07E83IX9MJ0DKWF
- Story Text: Militants in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip fired rockets into southern Israel on Saturday (December 27) after Israeli air strikes killed more than 140 Palestinians.
Israel's air force fired about 30 missiles at targets in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, destroying several Hamas police compounds and killing more than 140 people, medical officials and witnesses said.
The Israeli military confirmed it had conducted strikes, saying they targeted "terrorist infrastructure" and pledging to continue and expand attacks if necessary.
Hamas vowed to avenge what it called "the Israeli slaughter".
Medical officials said 120 people had been killed in Gaza City and another 23 in Khan Younis and Rafah in the southern Gaza strip.
Thick black smoke billowed over Gaza city, where the port and security installations of the Islamist Hamas group were badly damaged.
Television footage showed dead bodies scattered on the ground and wounded and dead being carried away by distraught rescuers. There was widespread damage to buildings.
Hamas police spokesman Islam Shahwan said a police compound in Gaza City had been hosting a graduation ceremony for new personnel when it was attacked. Police chief Tawfiq Jabber was among the dead, the radio said.
Uniformed bodies lay in a pile and the wounded writhed in pain.
Rescuers carried those showing signs of life to cars and ambulances, while others tried to revive the unconscious, television pictures showed.
Several of the rescuers beat their heads and shouted: "Allahu akbar (God is greatest)." One badly wounded prostrate man quietly recited verses from the Koran.
At another site, there was a huge crater in the ground. Nearby medics carried people into ambulances.
Witnesses said the attacks were carried out by warplanes and combat helicopters.
"All fighters are ordered to respond to the Israeli slaughter," said a statement by the Islamic Jihad group, echoing statements issued by Hamas and other armed factions.
An aide to Defence Minister Ehud Barak said the military was prepared to step up the assault if necessary.
"The operation will be pursued and widened as required and subject to (commanders') assessments," the aide told Reuters. "We are facing a period that will not be simple or easy."
A six-month truce expired in Gaza just over a week ago. Since then, at least six militants have been killed by Israeli air strikes and dozens of rockets and mortar shells from Gaza have slammed into Israel, damaging homes and causing panic.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned Islamist group Hamas on Thursday (December 25) to stop firing rockets or pay a heavy price. "I will not hesitate to use Israel's might to strike Hamas and (Islamic) Jihad," he told Al Arabiya television, an Arab broadcaster widely watched in Gaza.
About a dozen rockets and mortar bombs were fired from Gaza on Friday (December 26). One accidentally struck a northern Gaza house killing two Palestinian sisters, aged five and 13, and wounding a third, Palestinian medics said. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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