On Wednesday, the Israel Defence Forces carried out airstrikes against Palestinian terrorist hideouts inside Gaza after Islamic terrorist group Hamas launched massive rocket attacks targetting Israeli cities.
According to the reports, the Israel Defence Forces destroyed a 14-floor Al-Shorouk Tower in central Gaza City on Wednesday in a precision strike. This is the third such high-rise building to be destroyed by the IDF since the escalation of violence began on May 10, 2021.
Hamas terrorists reportedly used the high-rise buildings in Gaza to plan and carry out terror attacks against Israel. The Hamas used these buildings situated in the centre of the city to house its military intelligence officers and communicate tactical information.
Moments ago, IDF fighter jets struck a 14-story building in southern Gaza, which housed Hamas military intelligence offices & infrastructure used to communicate tactical-military information.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 12, 2021
We warned civilians in the building & provided them sufficient time to evacuate. pic.twitter.com/lFT7ntbXzW
As attacks from Gaza intensified, killing more than 30 Israeli citizens, the IDF launched a precision airstrike to destroy the hideout. Prior to the strikes, the IDF had warned the residents and had also asked the local people to evacuate. Israel military said that they are targeting militants in Gaza in response to earlier rocket attacks.
Israel said they killed 16 members of the Hamas military wing in an airstrike on Gaza on Wednesday. Israel’s Shin Bet security service said the brigade commander for Gaza City was among the senior members of the Islamist terror group Hamas who had been killed in the airstrikes.
Here is a video of the airstrikes carried out by IDF on the multi-storey building that housed Hamas terrorists:
Israeli missile strikes have destroyed the 14 storey Shorouq tower in Gaza City – which was home for many media offices and is in a very densely populated area. pic.twitter.com/ccDaJR4Sbl
— Arwa Ibrahim (@arwaib) May 12, 2021
Earlier, Israel had carried out similar airstrikes on rocket launch sites, Hamas offices and the homes of Hamas leaders. Israeli officials said at least 41 Palestinian terrorists have been killed in the Gaza hostilities so far.
Following the airstrikes, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz said the Israeli strikes were “just the beginning”.
“Terror organisations have been hit hard and will continue to be hit because of their decision to hit Israel. We’ll return peace and quiet for the long term,” he said.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the offensive after Gaza terrorists unleashed a massive terror on Israel by launching a barrage of rockets at the densely populated Tel Aviv metropolitan. More than 130 rockets have been launched by Hamas on Wednesday in retaliation to anti-terror operations carried out by Israel.
The Israel-Palestine clashes:
The long-standing territorial-control issues between Israel and the pro-Palestinian forces have once again escalated, resulting in large scale violence and attacks. The court ruling of eviction of illegal Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in east Jerusalem has stoked tensions and sparked fresh violence in the region.
Prior to the latest exchange of fire, Israeli police were attacked by Palestinians inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem on Sunday. The Israel police had come under severe attack by Palestinians, who pelted stones and unleashed heavy attacks on them inside the Al-Aqsa compound. More than 21 officers were wounded after attacks by Palestinians during the attacks on Monday.
Following the Israeli retaliation, the terror outfit Hamas escalated its attack on Israeli civilians by launching hundreds of rockets against Israel. At least five Israelis have been killed after Hamas launched hundreds of rockets from the Gaza Strip. In response to the rocket attacks, the Israeli army has struck some 140 targets in the coastal enclave after Hamas openly joined Palestinian terrorists to intensify the clashes between the two sides.