15°c Overcast
16°c Light rain
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Children, senior killed in airstrike
Deadliest attack in Israeli offensive
Majdi Mohammed / The Associated Press A Palestinian man hides during a protest Sunday against Israel�s operations in Gaza Strip, outside Ofer, an Israeli military prison near the West Bank city of Ramallah. (CP)
An Israeli missile ripped through a two-storey home in a residential area of Gaza City on Sunday, killing at least 11 civilians, including four young children and an 81-year-old woman, in the single deadliest attack of Israel's offensive against Islamic militants.
The bloodshed was likely to raise pressure on Israel to end the fighting, even as it pledged to intensify the offensive by striking the homes of wanted militants. High numbers of civilian casualties in an offensive four years ago led to fierce criticism and condemnation of Israel.
In all, 73 Palestinians, including 37 civilians, have been killed in the five-day onslaught. Three Israeli civilians have also died from Palestinian rocket fire.
U.S. President Barack Obama said he was in touch with players across the region in hopes of halting the fighting, while also warning of the risks of Israel expanding its air assault into a ground war.
"We're going to have to see what kind of progress we can make in the next 24, 36, 48 hours," Obama said during a visit in Thailand.
On the ground, there were no signs of any let-up in the fighting as Israel announced it was widening the offensive to target the military commanders of the ruling Hamas group.
The Israeli military carried out dozens of airstrikes throughout the day, and naval forces bombarded targets along Gaza's Mediterranean coast. Many of the attacks focused on homes where militant leaders or weapons were believed to be hidden.
Palestinian militants continued to barrage Israel with rockets, firing more than 100 on Sunday, and setting off air-raid sirens across the southern part of the country. Some 40 rockets were intercepted by Israel's U.S.-financed Iron Dome rocket-defence system, including two that targeted the metropolis of Tel Aviv. At least 10 Israelis were wounded by shrapnel.
Israel's decision to step up its attacks in Gaza marked a new and risky phase of the operation, given the likelihood of civilian casualties in the densely populated territory of 1.6 million Palestinians. Israel launched the offensive Wednesday in what it said was an effort to end months of intensifying rocket fire from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
In the day's deadliest violence, the Israeli navy fired at a home where it said a top wanted militant was hiding. The missile struck the home of the Daloo family in Gaza City, reducing the structure to rubble.
Frantic rescuers, bolstered by bulldozers, pulled the limp bodies of children from the ruins of the house, including a toddler and a five-year-old, as survivors and bystanders screamed in grief. Later, the bodies of the children were laid out in the morgue of Gaza City's Shifa Hospital.
Among the 11 dead were four small children and five women, including an 81-year-old, Gaza health official Ashraf al-Kidra said.
More than a dozen homes of Hamas commanders or families linked to Hamas were struck on Sunday. Though most were empty -- their inhabitants having fled to shelter -- at least three had families in them.
Al-Kidra said 20 of 27 people killed Sunday were civilians, mostly women and children.
Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, said "the Israeli people will pay the price" for the killing of civilians.
Israel sought to place the blame on militants, saying they were intentionally operating in places inhabited by civilians.
The military has released videos and images of what it says are militants firing rockets from mosques, schools and public buildings.
"Hamas is using the Gaza population as human shields," said Brig. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, the chief Israeli spokesman. "They are exploiting crowded residential urban areas."
He acknowledged, however, it was not clear whether the militant targeted in Sunday's attack was killed, despite earlier claims of success. "I still don't know what became of him," Mordechai told Channel 10 TV.
Israel launched the offensive on Wednesday with a lightning airstrike that killed Hamas' military chief.
-- The Associated Press
Tragic numbers
JERUSALEM -- Casualties and attacks in the Israel-Hamas conflict since the fighting began:
At least 74 Palestinians, both militants and civilians, have been killed in Gaza.
Three Israeli civilians have been killed and more than 60 injured by Palestinian rockets.
Gaza militants have fired more than 1,000 rockets at southern Israeli communities since the start of the operation. Of them, 544 exploded inside Israel, the military said.
Israel says its Iron Dome missile defence system has intercepted about 290 rockets.
The Israeli military says it has hit more than 1,200 military targets in Gaza.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 19, 2012 A10
More World
- Back to Top
- Return to World
More World
(1 of 50 articles for this week)
French soldier stabbed in street
1:00 AM 0PARIS -- A French soldier was stabbed in the throat in a busy commercial district outside Paris on Saturday, and ...
Poll
Most Popular World
- French soldier stabbed in throat outside Paris; unclear yet if any link to UK attack
- Anti-Muslim activity on the rise in UK after soldier killed in London
- Driver horrified by scene in rearview mirror after load hits I-5 bridge, road falls into river
- Female suicide bomber injures 18 in Russian region of Dagestan
- Suspected Maoist rebels attack convoy carrying members of India's ruling party, killing 28
- Official: Clash that killed 14 Filipino marines and militants part of new US-backed offensive
- Distraught mom who carried daughter to safety becomes the face of the storm
- Gay teen charged for having younger girlfriend
- Bridge collapse survivor who fell in river: 'You hold on as tight as you can'
- Truck's load strikes girder despite permits
- Bridge collapse survivor who fell in river: 'You hold on as tight as you can'
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Brave woman tried to calm London attackers and reasoned with them before police came
- Search for survivors of Oklahoma tornado nearly complete, as homeowners confront devastation
- Man shot to death in Fla. while being questioned in Boston Marathon bombing investigation
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Muslim hard-liners ID suspect seen in video after British soldier killed in London
- Polish man gets quick face transplant in what doctors say was life-saving decision
- Driver horrified by scene in rearview mirror after load hits I-5 bridge, road falls into river
- Rare comic book featuring debut of Superman found insulating abandoned house in Minnesota
- Amanda Berry, 1 of 3 women freed after held captive in Ohio home, arrives at sister's home
- Bridge collapse survivor who fell in river: 'You hold on as tight as you can'
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Friendship with bomb suspect, complex chain of events leads to 3 being charged
- Police vow to solve shooting that wounded 19 people during Mother's Day parade in New Orleans
- Missing Pa. woman, last seen dropping off kids for school in 2002, surfaces in Fla.
- Cleveland police: Ohio captive suffered 5 miscarriages after being beaten and starved
- Brave woman tried to calm London attackers and reasoned with them before police came
- Jodi Arias convicted of first-degree murder, says she prefers death penalty
- Neighbours: Man in custody comforted missing girl's mom, helped search for missing US women
- Official: Clash that killed 14 Filipino marines and militants part of new US-backed offensive
- Mistrial in penalty phase of Arias case sets up whole new proceeding to decide punishment
- Bridge collapse survivor who fell in river: 'You hold on as tight as you can'
- Rare comic book featuring debut of Superman found insulating abandoned house in Minnesota
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Driver horrified by scene in rearview mirror after load hits I-5 bridge, road falls into river
- Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and founding member of rock group The Doors, dies at 74 from cancer
- Argentina's 'dirty war' dictator dies
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Official: Clash that killed 14 Filipino marines and militants part of new US-backed offensive
- Officials announce 1 winning ticket sold in Fla. on record Powerball jackpot topping $590M
- Umbrella-gate stirs outrage
- Bridge collapse survivor who fell in river: 'You hold on as tight as you can'
- Rare comic book featuring debut of Superman found insulating abandoned house in Minnesota
- 'Coronation Street' actor William Roache charged in UK over alleged rapes in 1967
- Coroner: 5-year-old boy shoots 2-year-old sister in US with rifle he got as a gift
- Hitler ate well, his food taster recalls
- Black bear wanders into LA-area suburbia, chases swimmers from pool, strands kids in class
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Female guards, rapidly growing in numbers, at heart of U.S. prison scandal
- Driver horrified by scene in rearview mirror after load hits I-5 bridge, road falls into river
- US tourists swim for nearly 14 hours after boat sinks near St. Lucia
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.