Death Toll Mounts As Israeli Forces Pound Targets In Gaza

• Palestinians flee homes over consistent bombardments
• Military says no troops currently operating inside territory
• Increasing casualties trigger violent protests in West Bank 

The conflict in Gaza Strip continues to escalate as Israeli forces attacked targets and pounded the territory from air, sea and land on Friday.

In the process, many residents have been forced to flee their homes in Gaza, carrying crying children and valued possessions

Following a significant escalation in the worst bout of fighting between Israel and Hamas for seven years, heavy artillery fire was aimed at what the Israeli military described as a large network of militant tunnels.

Reports by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said dozens of Hamas operatives were killed in the strikes, even as the escalating conflict triggered violent protests in the occupied West Bank, where seven Palestinians were reportedly killed by Israeli army fire.

As further violence broke out between Arabs and Jews, Hamas praised the clashes between stone-throwing youths and Israeli soldiers in the West Bank, calling on Palestinians to “set the ground ablaze under the feet of the occupation”

The intense overnight bombardment came amid speculation that Israeli troops were preparing to enter Gaza on the ground.

Red flames illuminated the skies above Gaza in the early hours of Friday as the deafening blasts from the outskirts of Gaza City, which lies about a mile from the frontier, jolted people awake as their apartment blocks shook.

Palestinians living in areas close to the Gaza-Israel border fled their homes in pick-up trucks; on donkeys; and by foot. Others went to UN-run schools in Gaza City for temporary shelter, carrying small children, household essentials and food items

One of the displaced persons, Hedaia Maarouf, who left her home with her extended family of 19 people, including 13 children, said: “We were terrified for our children, who were screaming and shaking.”

In northern Gaza, Rafat Tanani, his pregnant wife and four children were killed after an Israeli warplane reduced a building to rubble, some of the residents said.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the number of injured rose to 830 overnight, an increase of 200 in 10 hours. Also, the death toll stood at 119, including 27 children.

The UN said in the past five days, more than 200 homes and 24 schools have been destroyed or severely damaged in the Gaza Strip by Israeli air raids. It also warned that residents’ access to fresh water could be limited because of power cuts and damage to pipe networks.

Reports stated that power supplies may also be cut further as a result of the military action. At the moment, most families have power for four or five hours a day, with hospitals and businesses relying on generators. But as fuel supplies run low, more blackouts are expected.

Meanwhile, Hamas and other militant groups continued to fire rockets into Israel, with warning sirens sounding in towns and communities.

But the Israeli military confirmed intercepting at least five drones carrying explosives launched from Gaza since Thursday. It further admitted that nine people have so far been killed in Israel, including a child and a soldier.

Shortly after midnight, the Israeli military issued a statement saying: “[Israel Defence Forces] air and ground troops are currently attacking in the Gaza Strip.”

It later clarified that there were no troops inside Gaza, suggesting it was not a ground invasion but artillery and tank fire from the border.

“Clarification: there are currently no IDF ground troops inside the Gaza Strip. IDF air and ground forces are carrying out strikes on targets in the Gaza Strip,” the statement said.

It added that fresh airstrikes had been carried out against what it called a “number of Hamas launch sites and observation posts in Gaza”. – The Guardian report