The Israeli army carried out an intense series of strikes on Gaza in the early hours of Monday, May 17, after a black week that left some 200 dead in violence between the Hebrew state and Islamist Hamas.
On the night of Sunday to Monday, the Israeli air force shelled the Gaza Strip dozens of times in the space of a few minutes, causing power cuts, an AFP journalist noted.
Hundreds of buildings were damaged, according to local authorities, who did not immediately report any casualties.
Roads, secure buildings, military training camps and homes were bombed, witnesses told Reuters.
Explosions could be heard at various points in the Palestinian enclave.
In a short statement, the Israeli air force said its "fighter jets" were hitting "terrorist targets" in Gaza, without commenting.
Heaviest Sunday toll
"There has never been a strike of this magnitude," said Mad Abed Rabbo, 39, who lives in western Gaza City, expressing his "horror, fear".
“I felt like I was dying,” said another Gaza resident, Mani Qazaat.
"Netanyahu must realize that we are civilians, not soldiers."
The new Israeli strikes come as the Palestinian enclave, controlled by the Islamists of Hamas, recorded its heaviest daily death toll on Sunday since the start of this new episode of violence: 42 Palestinians, including at least eight children and two doctors, perished in raids, according to the local health ministry.
In total, since May 10, 197 Palestinians have been killed, including at least 58 children, and more than 1,200 injured.
On the Israeli side, 10 people were killed, including a child, and 282 injured after shooting by Palestinian armed groups from Gaza.
With AFP and Reuters
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