Israel conducts dozens of air strikes on Gaza Strip

Israel conducted dozens of air strikes on the Gaza Strip yesterday after Palestinian militants fired barrages of rockets at southern Israeli cities.

 

The pre-dawn raids on Gaza were some of the heaviest seen since the fighting began a week ago.

 

Israel said it hit facilities belonging to the militant group Hamas and several commanders' homes, but main roads and power lines were also damaged.

 

There were no immediate reports of casualties following the strikes. The Israeli military said more than 50 warplanes conducted a 20-minute attack on the Gaza Strip shortly before dawn.

 

They struck 35 'terror targets' and destroyed more than 15km of an underground tunnel network



belonging to Hamas, it added.

 

The military also said it had hit the homes of nine high-ranking Hamas commanders. Hamas, which controls Gaza, began firing rockets  triggering retaliatory air strikes.

 

Israel says more than 3,000 rockets have been fired into the country over the past week.

 

Rocket warning sirens sounded again, in several areas around southern Israel today. One rocket hit an apartment building in the city of Ashdod and several people were reportedly hurt.

 

Palestinian officials in Gaza, meanwhile, said the overnight strikes had caused widespread power cuts and damaged hundreds of homes and other buildings.