According to local sources in Gaza, Israeli missile strikes continued on Saturday and Sunday in various parts of Gaza, averaging one to two air strikes an hour. A two-year old and a five-year old were among the victims of Israel’s three-day long bombardment of Gaza, and a 12-year old boy was also among the 15 killed.Early Sunday morning, a car was reportedly struck by an Israeli missile in al-Zaitoun neighborhood of Gaza City. Another airstrike in northern Gaza Sunday reportedly injured seven members of the Sultan family, including two children.
Bombing was also reported in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, and Jabaliya, in northern Gaza.
Also since Thursday, one Israelis were killed and sixteen injured by homemade shells fired from Gaza into southern Israel. Although most of the approximately 80 shells that were fired hit open ground, one hit a home, killing one, and one hit a man running for shelter, wounding him severely. Most of the other injuries were from shrapnel.
Egyptian authorities worked with representatives of Islamic Jihad and Hamas to negotiate a ceasefire on Sunday, Israeli authorities continued the bombardment of Gaza throughout the negotiations. Several shells were also fired from Gaza into Israel on Sunday during the negotiations, causing no injuries or damage.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has threatened to carry out an all-out invasion of the Gaza Strip, similar to one in 2008-9 that killed 1400 Palestinians, most of them civilians, and nearly 400 of them children. He stated after a cabinet meeting Saturday night that Israel needs to engage in serious retaliation against Gaza for the attack on Thursday by unknown gunmen that killed eight Israelis, five of them civilians.
Thursday’s attack on an Israeli bus and car took place just two days after Israeli troops stationed on the Gaza border shot and killed a mentally-disabled teenager who had wandered within 400 meters of the border — an area that Israeli forces have designated a ‘kill zone’.
