Palestine

Israeli airstrikes kill 22 more Palestinians

370642_Israel-attacks-GazaAt least 22 Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed as Israeli airstrikes continue to target the besieged Gaza Strip for the third consecutive day.

Israeli airstrikes hit different locations in Gaza on Thursday, putting the total number of Palestinian deaths over the past three days to at least 78.

Deadly attacks were carried out in the city of Khan Yunis and the Nusseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

Sources say at least 500 Palestinians have also been injured in the attacks.

The recent deaths come after the Israeli Chief of Staff Benny Gantz approved plans to send ground forces into Gaza.

According to Palestinian Minister of Public Works and Housing Mofeed al-Hasayneh, some 50 houses were destroyed and 1,700 partially damaged on July 8 alone.

President of the Palestinian National Unity Government Mahmoud Abbas has accused Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip in order to defend its illegal settlement project. “It’s genocide. The killing of entire families is genocide by Israel against our Palestinian people.”
Tens of rockets from Gaza have also landed in illegal Israeli settlements and cities deep inside the occupied Palestinian territories.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting over the Israeli aggression toward the Palestinians later on Thursday.

A previous eight-day Israeli offensive on the coastal enclave, which ended on November 21, 2012, claimed the lives of more than 160 Palestinians, including women and children. About 1,200 others were injured.

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.

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