Israeli airstrikes continue in Gaza Strip

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Source: CCTV.com | 01-03-2009 09:48

Israel is showing no sign of slowing a blistering air offensive against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. Its airstrikes have killed over 400 Palestinians and wounded some 1700 others so far. Yang Weihan has the latest.

Israeli air force destroyed the homes of more than a  dozen Hamas operatives and bombed one of its mosques.

Israeli air force destroyed the homes of more than a dozen Hamas operatives and bombed one of its mosques on Friday.

Most of the targeted homes appeared to be empty during the bombing, but one man was killed in a refugee camp in northern Gaza.

Israel says the homes of Hamas leaders and the mosque were being used to store missiles and other weapons.

Meanwhile, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, an Israeli strike has left three Palestinian children dead.

The precise numbers of combatants and civilians killed are unclear. Hamas says around half of the more than 400 deaths were civilian, but the UN puts the figure at only more than 60, including 34 children.

Israel says it would consider a halt to its air campaign if international monitors are brought in to track compliance with any truce with Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has also dismissed the prospect of a protracted war.

Ehud Olmert, Israeli PM, said, "I really hope we'll achieve our targets as quickly as possible. We have no intention of handling a long war."

However, militants in Gaza are continuing with their rocket attacks, which wounded four Israelis in the southern city of Ashkelon on Friday. Beer Sheba and Ashdod were also targeted.

The rockets have been reaching deeper into Israel than ever before, putting about 10 percent of Israel's population under threat.

Editor:Liu Fang