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Updated May 20th, 2021 at 16:04 IST

Israel unleashes strikes as Gaza offensive continues

Explosions could be heard and smoke was seen rising above the Gaza skyline on Thursday as fighting between Israel and Hamas continued.

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Explosions could be heard and smoke was seen rising above the Gaza skyline on Thursday as fighting between Israel and Hamas continued.

Earlier Israel unleashed a wave of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, killing at least one Palestinian and wounding several others.

The latest strikes came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back against U.S. pressure to wind down the offensive against Gaza's militant Hamas rulers, who have fired thousands of rockets at Israel.

Explosions shook Gaza City and orange flares lit up the night sky, with airstrikes also reported in the central town of Deir al-Balah and the southern town of Khan Younis.

As the sun rose, residents surveyed the rubble from at least five family homes destroyed in Khan Younis.

There were also heavy airstrikes on al-Saftawi Street, a commercial thoroughfare in Gaza City.

The Israeli military said it struck at least four homes of Hamas commanders, targeting “military infrastructure,” as well as a weapons storage unit at the home of a Hamas fighter in Gaza City.

The current round of fighting between Israel and Hamas began May 10, when the militant group fired long-range rockets toward Jerusalem after days of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a flashpoint site sacred to Jews and Muslims.

Since then, Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes that it says have targeted Hamas’ infrastructure, including a vast tunnel network it refers to as the “Metro.”

Hamas and other militant groups embedded in residential areas have fired over 4,000 rockets at Israeli cities, with hundreds falling short and most of the rest intercepted or landing in open areas.

 

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Published May 20th, 2021 at 16:04 IST

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