PHOTO: Al-Tawfeeq Mosque in central Gaza, hit by an Israeli airstrike on Saturday
The Israeli Air Force has dropped leaflets warning residents of North Gaza to evacuate their homes ahead of more airstrikes and a possible ground operation, as the death toll from Israel’s airstrikes since Tuesday reached 165.
The leaflets said there will be a “short and temporary” campaign sometime after noon (0900 GMT).
In the first reported ground operation, Israeli navy commandos clashed with Hamas gunmen early Sunday. The Israel Defense Forces said at least four troops were “lightly injured” on Sunday, as they attacked a claimed launch site in northern Gaza for long-range rockets.
Israeli airstrikes killed more than 50 Palestinians on Saturday, as the range of targets was widened to include civil facilities with suspected ties to Hamas military operations.
In the deadliest assault, at least 18 people were killed and 50 wounded when a strike destroyed the home of Gaza’s police chief and damaged a nearby mosque as Friday Prayers ended. Another attack hit a center for the disabled, killing two patients and wounding four people.
The United Nations Security called for a cease-fire on Saturday, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said that operations will continue “until quiet is restored to Israel”.
Israel has launched more than 1,300 air strikes since Tuesday. The Israeli military said more than 800 rockets have been fired from Gaza, including 130 in the last 24 hours.
Several Israelis have been wounded, but there have been no fatalities.
