Israeli airplanes attacked two mosques in Gaza, allegedly housing Hamas command centers used to direct the militant group’s ongoing major operation.
“Fighter jets attacked two operational infrastructures that were located in mosques and were used by the terrorist organization Hamas to direct terror against the state of Israel,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated in an operational update released early Sunday.
The IDF stated that Hamas was utilizing holy sites and the civilian population of Gaza to avoid Israel’s retaliation to the group’s surprise attacks on Saturday.
Israel has shut off electricity to Palestinian territories and launched scores of air strikes against Hamas sites after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on the militant group. In a televised address on Saturday night, the Prime Minister threatened to “take revenge for this black day” and transform all Hamas-controlled sites in Gaza into “ruins.”
“We will turn into ruins all the places where Hamas hides and operates,” Netanyahu declared. He advised civilians to “get out of there now.”
The conflict began early Saturday, when Hamas launched missiles into Israel and militants penetrated towns in the country’s south. According to local media accounts, around 300 Israelis were killed and nearly 1,600 were injured. Dozens of Israeli civilians and soldiers were kidnapped and deported to Gaza. Rocket assaults on Israel continued throughout the night on Saturday.
According to the Gaza health ministry, Israel’s retaliatory attacks against Hamas killed more than 230 people and injured almost 1,800 more.
According to Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri, the group had kidnapped so many Israelis, including top officers, that it anticipated to negotiate a prisoner swap in exchange for the release of thousands of Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli jails. While one of its correspondents was performing a live report from the scene in downtown Gaza City, Al Jazeera television showed a residential tower reportedly being hit by an Israeli air strike.
Tr.com