Palestinians: At least 27 killed in Gaza Sunday
Sources in Strip say some 890 Gazans killed, 3,500 injured since Operation Cast Lead launched 16 days ago; military says struck 60 targets, including mosque serving as weapons cache, training facility. UNRWA: 25,000 sought shelter in our schools
At last 27 Palestinians were killed and 90 more were injured in IDF attacks throughout Gaza on Sunday, medical officials in the Strip reported.
Since Operation Cast Lead was launched 16 days ago, some 890 Gazans were killed and about 3,500 were injured, they said.
The Israeli military said forces attacked some 60 targets on Sunday, including a mosque in Rafah that served as a training facility and a warehouse for improved anti-tank missiles.
Palestinian sources said among those killed Sunday in an IDF strike in Gaza City were at least five women and four members of the same family. At least two of the casualties were members of Islamic Jihad's armed-wing, the al-Quds Brigades, and another was a member of the Salah al-Din Brigades, the military faction of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC).
The sources further reported that a Palestinian journalist was shot to death by IDF forces in Beit Hanoun. In addition, they said that at least two Palestinians were killed and many were injured Sunday morning in an IDF shelling at the city of Huzaa, east of Khan Younis. According to reports, several houses caught fire.
Some 50 Palestinians were hurt in the incident. Sources in Gaza reported that the rescue forces were experiencing problems reaching the casualties due to the massive fire. It was also reported that Navy ships were firing at several targets in the Strip.
Strikes on terror hubs in Gaza (Photo: AFP)
The PRC reported that the mother of the group's number two man, Sharif Ziada, was killed in one of the strikes on Gaza City. Ziada is serving two life sentences in Israel for attempting to transfer rocket-launching technological know-how to the West Bank. He was captured in 2005 after infiltrating Israel from Egypt.
The Palestinian sources said 12 bodies were found under the rubble of a building in Gaza City's al-Hawa neighborhood, this after IDF forces had entered the outskirts of the city. Six Palestinians, including children, were killed by an IDF shell in the town of Beit Lahiya in north Gaza, they said.
Meanwhile, heavy exchanges of fire were reported between IDF forces and Palestinian gunmen outside Gaza City. At least 10 gunmen have been killed in the fighting.
UNRWA said on Sunday that 25,000 people whose homes were destroyed in IDF attacks have sought shelter in the aid organization's schools throughout the Strip.
Saturday night saw the Israeli Air Force attack the home of Ahmad Jabari, the commander of Hamas' military wing.
It is unclear whether there was anyone in the building, which is located in the northern Gaza Strip neighborhood of Sajaiyeh. According to estimates, Jabari was not in the house, as he is managing the fighting against the Israel Defense Forces from a hiding place.
Hanan Greenberg contributed to the report
