Israel continues strikes on Gaza for 7th day

Israel has continued its airstrikes on the Gaza Strip for the seventh straight day, killing a total of at least 173 Palestinians in the besieged enclave so far.

On Monday, the Israeli jets bombed three sites around the coastal territory, which reportedly belonged to the military wing of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.

The Israeli aircrafts also struck buildings in Gaza City, Deir el-Balah and Jabaliya and wounded several Palestinians.

A man and a woman died on Monday of injuries sustained in the Israeli airstrikes a day earlier.

At least 1,230 people have been injured since Israel began its aerial assaults on Gaza on Tuesday.

People have held protest rallies across the globe to denounce Israel for its aggression against Palestinians in Gaza.

Despite international calls for an end to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the Tel Aviv regime was hitting Gaza “with growing force” and that there was no end in sight. “We do not know when this operation will end,” ha said.

The Israeli military has called up thousands of reservists for an all-out invasion of the impoverished territory.

Reports say the residents of the besieged enclave’s north are fleeing their homes in fear of an imminent ground invasion.

Hamas has warned that it is prepared to hit back at Israeli forces if the Tel Aviv regime launches a ground attack against Gaza.

Gaza has been blockaded since June 2007. The blockade has caused a decline in the standards of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.