Israeli warplanes carry out overnight raids in Gaza, destroying 12 buildings in a minute

By Abdelraouf Arna'out

JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli warplanes simultaneously struck 12 buildings in Gaza in a period of one minute as part of its overnight raids on early Friday.

The Israeli army said in a statement that dozens of its jet fighters raided targets across the Gaza Strip, including 12 multi-story buildings that were bombed in a single minute, claiming that these buildings "contain Hamas assets."

The Israeli army added that it carried out "some 750 targets" belonging to Hamas and other Palestinian groups across Gaza in its overnight raids.

The authorities in Gaza confirmed in several statements that the Israeli targets and raids are aimed at evicting residents from residential buildings and neighborhoods.

In a significant development in the course of Israeli attacks on Gaza, Israel informed the UN of the need to evacuate the northern Gaza Strip within 24 hours.

The Israeli army informed the UN “that the entire population of Gaza north of Wadi Gaza should relocate to southern Gaza within the next 24 hours,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement late Thursday.

In a dramatic escalation of Middle East tensions, Israeli forces launched a sustained and forceful military campaign against the Gaza Strip, a response to a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.

The conflict began last Saturday when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air.

Hamas said the operation was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.

Israel's response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has reeled under a crippling siege since 2007.

The number of Palestinians killed from Israeli attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip has risen to 1,537, the Health Ministry in Gaza announced Thursday. The statement noted that the dead included 500 children and 276 women, with 6,612 people injured.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar