Tom Chiahemen
The Israeli air force continued its counter-attacks in the Gaza Strip after the weekend’s large-scale attack by the Islamist group Hamas.
Dozens of fighter jets attacked more than 200 targets in the Al-Furqan area, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said early on Wednesday morning.
It was the third time in 24 hours that large-scale attacks were carried out in the Gaza Strip.
In total more than 450 targets have been hit, according to the IDF.
The Isaeli military said Al-Furqan, a neighbourhood in the northern Gaza Strip, is used by Hamas as a terror centre.
Israel said the area was the base for numerous terrorist attacks which were carried out against Israel.
The number of people killed in Israel during large-scale attacks by Hamas which began on Saturday has now risen to at least 1,200, IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus said in a situational update on Wednesday morning.
The overwhelming majority of the fatalities were civilians, Conricus said, characterising the number as staggering and unimaginable.
More than 2,700 people were injured.
“Sadly, something tells me that these numbers are not the final numbers,’’ the spokesman added.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, by Tuesday night at least 900 people had died in the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli air force’s counter-attacks, and 4,500 others were injured.
In a large-scale attack on the border area on Saturday, Hamas which is classified as a terrorist organisation by the U.S.
Israel said that the EU and Israel had caused the worst bloodshed among civilians since the founding of the Israeli state. (dpa/NAN)
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