Israel pummelled Gaza with artillery fire and air strikes on Friday as it targeted Palestinian militant tunnels to try to stop persistent rocket attacks on Israeli towns.
Israel pummelled Gaza with artillery fire and air strikes on Friday as it targeted Palestinian militant tunnels to try to stop persistent rocket attacks on Israeli towns. I n a 40-minute, pre-dawn offensive, at least 13 Palestinians were killed, including a mother and her three children whose bodies were pulled from the rubble of their home, health officials in Gaza said. The Israeli operation included 160 aircraft as well as tanks and artillery firing from outside the Gaza Strip. Palestinian rocket barrages against southern Israel swiftly followed on the fifth day of the most serious fighting between Israel and Gaza militants since 2014. An Israeli military official later said more than 2,000 rockets had been fired from Gaza into Israel since the start of the conflict and that Israel had destroyed several miles of tunnels used by the militants. Egypt was leading international efforts to secure a ceasefire and ensure the conflict does not spread. Security sources said neither side appeared amenable so far but a Palestinian official said negotiations intensified on Friday. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for an immediate ceasefire. “Fighting has the potential to unleash an uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis and to further foster extremism…,” U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said. French President Emmanuel Macron also urged a return to peace during a telephone conversation on Friday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
