Armed wing of Hamas hits Haifa, Tel Aviv
Al-Qassam said the rocket attacks came in reprisal for the Israeli bombing of Gaza multiple-story residential buildings.
GAZA CITY
The Ezzeddin al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, announced on Tuesday firing several rockets at Haifa and Tel Aviv.
In a statement, al-Qassam said it fired a R160 rocket at Haifa and four M75 rockets at Tel Aviv.
According to the Israeli Haaretz daily, 20 Israelis sustained light injures after a rocket hit the coastal city of Ashkelon earlier Tuesday.
Al-Qassam said the rocket attacks came in reprisal for the Israeli bombing of Gaza multiple-story residential buildings.
Israeli planes struck a 14-storey building in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, in the latest attack targeting residential buildings in the blockaded coastal enclave.
Israeli warplanes fired three missiles into the building in central Gaza City, totally destroying it.
Earlier Tuesday, Israeli planes struck a 14-storey building in central Gaza City, leaving at least 20 Palestinians injured.
A similar attack targeted an 11-storey building in southern Gaza, leaving nearly 50 Palestinian families homeless.
On Tuesday, Hamas dismissed Israeli attacks on residential buildings as "crimes against humanity".
Since July 7, Israel has been pounding the Gaza Strip with the stated aim of halting rocket fire from the Palestinian territory.
At least 2133 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 11,000 others injured in relentless Israeli attacks, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Thousands of homes have also been destroyed in the offensive.
Over the same period, at least 68 Israelis – 64 soldiers and four civilians – have been killed, according to Israeli figures.
The Palestinian death toll from the Israeli offensive alone has surpassed the combined total fatalities from two past major operations - including 2008/9's operation "Cast Lead" which killed at least 1500 Palestinians in three weeks.
By Ola Attalah
englishnews@aa.com.tr
