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Israeli air strikes target Gaza Scores die in Israeli air strikes
(20 minutes later)
Palestinians say Israeli F-16 bombers have launched a series of air strikes against key targets in the Gaza Strip, killing and injuring dozens of people.Palestinians say Israeli F-16 bombers have launched a series of air strikes against key targets in the Gaza Strip, killing and injuring dozens of people.
Missiles hit security compounds run by the militant group Hamas in the centre of Gaza City, killing at least 40 people, Hamas officials said. Missiles destroyed security compounds run by the militant group Hamas in the centre of Gaza City, killing at least 120 people, Hamas officials said.
The strikes, the most intense Israeli attacks on Gaza in recent times, come after the expiry of a truce with Hamas.The strikes, the most intense Israeli attacks on Gaza in recent times, come after the expiry of a truce with Hamas.
Israel has threatened an offensive to stop the firing of rockets from Gaza.Israel has threatened an offensive to stop the firing of rockets from Gaza.
There was no immediate word on the explosions from the Israeli military. Israel confirmed the strikes, saying they were launched in response to continued rocket fire by Palestinian militants against Israeli towns.
They targeted "Hamas terror operatives" as well as training camps and weaponry storage warehouses, the country's military said in a statement.
Hamas quickly vowed to carry out revenge attacks on Israel in response to the air strikes.
Offensive planned?Offensive planned?
Early casualty reports suggested the death toll from the air strikes would be high. Reports of the casualties in Gaza mounted swiftly after news broke of the Israeli operation.
Palestinian militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, said at least 40 people had been killed when a missile hit security headquarters in and around Gaza City. Palestinian militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, initially said at least 40 people had been killed when a missile hit security headquarters in and around Gaza City.
That figure quickly rose, Hamas saying 120 were killed and some 400 people injured, the BBC Katya Adler reports from Jerusalem.
Medics in Gaza also reported high casualties, saying 120 people died in Gaza City and 23 in the southern city of Khan Younis, Reuters news agency said.
"Most security headquarters in Gaza were completely destroyed in the Zionist shelling," the Hamas-run al-Aqsa TV station said."Most security headquarters in Gaza were completely destroyed in the Zionist shelling," the Hamas-run al-Aqsa TV station said.
Unconfirmed reports from local journalists in Gaza said as many as 200 people may have been injured, says the BBC's Paul Wood in Jerusalem, although there is no way to verify this figure immediately. The air strikes are the most intense Israel has launched against Gaza for some time, and come amid rumours that that a ground operation is imminent.
Our correspondent says the air strikes are the most intense Israel has launched against Gaza for some time, and may indicate that a ground operation is imminent. Israeli security officials have been briefing about the possibility of a new offensive into Gaza for some days now, says the BBC's Paul Wood, in Jerusalem.
Israeli security officials have been briefing about the possibility of a ground offensive into Gaza for some days now. But most reports centred on the possibility of a ground offensive, and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was not expected to authorise any operation until Sunday at the earliest.
They have suggested that a new operation could be launched against Palestinian militants who fire rockets at targets inside Israel.
But it had been expected that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would not authorise any operation until Sunday at the earliest.
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