Saturday, December 27, 2008
Aircraft of the Israeli air force launched a series of attacks on the Gaza Strip, killing and wounding dozens of people.
According to reports, more than twenty missiles were aimed at the headquarters of the security forces of the Palestinian militant organization Hamas in central Gaza.
Hamas sources said that at least 155 persons were killed and nearly 200 were injured.
The BBC correspondent in Jerusalem, Paul Wood, said that there is no way to verify these figures, in the midst of the chaos that was generated after the bombing.
Wood added that air strikes could be the prelude to a military offensive by land.
The bombing, the most intense it has been carried out on the Palestinian territories recently came days after the end of the truce between Israel and Hamas.
The president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, whose faction, Fatah, was ousted from Gaza by Hamas in 2007 - condemned the attacks and called for restraint.
"Operating on terror"
Hamas is pledged to avenge. Shortly after the bombing, Palestinian militants fired rockets into southern Israel, killing a woman in the town of Netivot.
The Israeli defense minister, Ehud Barak, warned that the army is prepared to deploy a larger military offensive if necessary.
"The operation will continue and be extended when needed, based on the evaluation (the commanders) ... We are facing a period that will not be simple or easy," said Barak, said in a statement.
According to the document, the attacks were intended to eliminate "terror operatives of Hamas," as well as training camps and military hardware stores.
The Israeli government had warned that it would carry out a military offensive in the event of persisting launching missiles from the Gaza Strip by Hamas militants.
The day before, Israel opened its border with Gaza to allow the entry of humanitarian aid.
