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Israel Says It Struck a Gaza Mosque Containing Weapons Israel Says It Struck a Gaza Mosque Containing Weapons
(about 2 hours later)
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said on Saturday that it had struck a mosque in central Gaza overnight that held a concealed weapons cache, a move that indicated the complexities of Israel’s aerial campaign meant to quell the barrages of rockets fired against its civilians from the Palestinian coastal enclave, and one that was likely to fan Palestinian outrage during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said on Saturday that overnight it had struck a mosque in central Gaza that held a concealed weapons cache.
In Gaza, health officials said that the death toll from the Israeli airstrikes had reached 120, with hundreds more wounded. Many of the casualties were said to be civilians, including women and children. The move was likely to fan Palestinian outrage during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The military said that over five days of fighting it had struck more than 1,160 targets in Gaza, including rocket launchers, facilities for weapon manufacturing and storage and private homes that it said served as command-and-control centers for militant operatives guiding the rocket fire. Overnight, the military said it had targeted 10 “terror operatives,” six of whom it said were directly involved in launching rockets at Israel at the time. In Gaza, health officials said that the death toll from the Israeli airstrikes had reached 120, with hundreds more wounded. Many of those killed and wounded were said to be civilians, including women and children.
In a statement on Saturday, the military said that Hamas, the Islamic group that dominates Gaza, and the militant group Islamic Jihad “systematically use mosques to conceal weaponry and establish underground tunnel networks, abusing the holy nature of these sites for their own terror-oriented agendas.” It added, “These sites are part of a vast terror network embedded deep within civilian populations purposefully, by these terror organizations.” Israel’s military said that over five days of fighting it had struck more than 1,160 targets in Gaza, including rocket launchers, weapon manufacturing and storage facilities and private homes that it said had served as command-and-control centers for militants guiding the rocket fire. Overnight, the military said it had targeted 10 “terror operatives,” six of whom it said were directly involved in launching rockets at Israel at the time.
The military issued aerial photos of the mosque site, surrounded by civilian homes. In a statement on Saturday, the military said that Hamas, the Islamic group that dominates Gaza, and the militant group Islamic Jihad “systematically use mosques to conceal weaponry and establish underground tunnel networks, abusing the holy nature of these sites for their own terror-oriented agendas.”
Over the last five days, there have been injuries from rocket fire but no fatalities in Israel, although militants in Gaza have launched almost 700 rockets and mortars, often reaching much deeper into Israel than in past rounds of fighting, according to the military. Israeli officials attribute the lack of fatalities largely to the success of the country’s Iron Dome missile defense system, which has intercepted most of the rockets headed for large population centers, and also to the discipline of the millions of Israelis under threat who heed instructions and head for protected areas when the sirens go off. “These sites are part of a vast terror network embedded deep within civilian populations purposefully, by these terror organizations,” the statement added.
But Iron Dome does not provide hermetic protection. A house in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba was destroyed by a direct hit on Friday night and an elderly woman was injured. One man was severely wounded on Friday and seven others were wounded more lightly when a rocket hit a gasoline station in the Israeli port city of Ashdod, setting it ablaze. The military issued aerial photographs of the mosque site, surrounded by civilian homes.
With the Israeli government considering the possibility of sending ground forces into Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel was “weighing all possibilities and preparing for all possibilities.” Hamas’s military wing said it was ready for a long fight, saying on its website that it had “utilized only a little of what it has prepared for the Zionist enemy,” meaning Israel. Over the last five days, there have been injuries from rocket fire but no fatalities in Israel, although militants in Gaza have launched almost 700 rockets and mortars, often reaching much deeper into Israel than in past rounds of fighting, according to the military. Israeli officials attribute the lack of fatalities largely to the success of the country’s Iron Dome missile defense system, which has intercepted most rockets headed for large population centers, and to the discipline of Israelis who heed instructions and head for protected areas when the sirens go off.
But Iron Dome does not provide total protection. A rocket struck a house in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba on Friday night, destroying it and injuring an elderly woman. A man was severely wounded on Friday and seven others suffered less serious wounds when a rocket hit a gasoline station in Ashdod, an Israeli port city, setting it ablaze.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel was “weighing all possibilities and preparing for all possibilities,” including dispatching ground forces to Gaza.
Hamas’s military wing said it was ready for a long fight, saying on its website that it had “utilized only a little of what it has prepared for the Zionist enemy.” .
While there was talk about some efforts underway to broker a cease-fire, none appeared imminent.While there was talk about some efforts underway to broker a cease-fire, none appeared imminent.