More than 100 Palestinians are said to have been killed after Israel intensified its bombardment of Gaza and warned of a long conflict ahead.Gaza's only power plant caught fire as Israel carried out 60 air strikes, targeting sites associated with Hamas, the Islamist group which controls Gaza.UN staff members are said to be among those killed.An Israeli military spokesman said the strikes signalled a "gradual increase in the pressure" on Hamas.
In a televised address on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed the need to destroy tunnels dug under the Gaza-Israel border, to prevent militants infiltrating Israel.
Yasser Abed Rabbo of the Palestine Liberation Organization said he spoke for Hamas, but Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said the offer was "not serious", the Associated Press reported.
Palestinian officials now say 1,115 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in the fighting since 8 July while Israel has lost 53 soldiers and three civilians - two Israelis and a Thai worker.
UN Relief and Works Agency spokesman Chris Gunness said in a tweetthat a number of staff members had reportedly been killed. The UN is currently caring for 182,604 Palestinians in its 82 shelters in Gaza, he said.
In another development, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accused Israel of acting like a "rabid dog" and called on Muslims to arm Palestinians to enable them to fight back against "genocide".Power plant destroyed
Gazans get power from just one local power plant, as well as some supply from Israel and Egypt.
On Tuesday morning a huge plume of smoke rose over the strip's only power plant after one of its fuel tanks was reportedly set alight by Israeli tank shells, and the plant was forced to shut down.
0 Comments