10 July 2014

Palestinians bury dead after airstrikes

A Palestinian boy plays in the rubble of a destroyed house the day after an Israeli strike in the town of Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, July 9, 2014 during the heaviest fighting between Israel and the Islamic militant group Hamas since an eight-day battle in November 2012.
Hundreds of Palestinians carried bodies through the streets in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday as they buried those killed in Israeli airstrikes. On the other side of the border Israelis braced for rocket fire and soldiers massed on the border.
An Israeli offensive aimed at stopping near-daily Palestinian militant rocket attacks has set off the heaviest fighting between Israel and the Islamic militant group Hamas since an eight-day battle in November 2012, and it is taking a heavy toll on civilians.
Palestinian children played in the rubble of a house that was destroyed by an Israeli strike on Tuesday in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, while hundreds of angry men carried the bodies of seven people laid out on orange stretchers for their funeral in the Khan Younis refugee camp in the south. Trails of smoke, meanwhile, could be seen as Palestinian militants fired rocket salvos toward Israel.
Palestinian medics say a total of 49 people have been killed in Gaza, including 22 on Wednesday. Of the total dead, medical officials have confirmed at least 15 are civilians and 10 militants, with the remainder uncertain.
No serious casualties have been reported on the Israeli side, but rockets have hit homes, damaged infrastructure and spread panic as air raid sirens wailed over major Israeli cities. 
(AP)
Smoke and debris rise after an Israeli strike on the Gaza Strip seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza Border, Wednesday, July 9, 2014. The military said it struck about 200 Hamas targets on the second day of its offensive, which it says is needed to end incessant rocket attacks out of Gaza.
Palestinian relatives of the five members of the Hamad family who were killed in an Israeli missile strike late Tuesday grieve in the family house during their funeral in town of Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, July 9, 2014. The Israeli army on Wednesday intensified its offensive on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, striking Hamas sites and killing more than 20 people on the second day of a military operation it says is aimed at quenching rocket fire against Israel.
Israeli soldiers work on their tanks at a staging area near the Israel-Gaza Border, Wednesday, July 9, 2014. The government has authorized the army to activate up to 40,000 reservists for a ground operation.
Palestinians carry bodies of seven people killed in a strike during their funeral in Khan Younis refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, July 9, 2014. The fighting stepped up as Egypt, which often serves as a mediator between Israel and the Palestinians, said it was in contact with both sides to end the violence. It was the first indication since the offensive was launched on Tuesday that cease-fire efforts might be under way.
A Palestinian relative of the five members of the Hamad family who were killed in an Israeli missile strike late Tuesday grieves in the family house during their funeral in town of Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, July 9, 2014. The Israeli army on Wednesday intensified its offensive on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, striking Hamas sites and killing more 20 people on the second day of a military operation it says is aimed at quenching rocket fire against Israel.
Palestinian relatives mourn over the body of one of the five members of the Hamad family who were killed in an Israeli missile strike late Tuesday in the family house during their funeral in town of Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, July 9, 2014. The offensive has set off the heaviest fighting between Israel and the Islamic militant group Hamas since an eight-day battle in November 2012. As the death toll continued to rise, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of committing "genocide."
Smoke trails are seen after missiles were fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza City towards southern Israel, Wednesday, July 9, 2014. Since the offensive began Tuesday, Israel has attacked at least 560 sites in Gaza, the military said. Militants have fired more than 160 rockets at Israel, reaching further north than ever before.
Palestinian mourners carry bodies of the five members of Hamad family who were killed in an Israeli missile strike late Tuesday, in town of Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, July 9, 2014. The Israeli army on Wednesday intensified its offensive on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, striking Hamas sites and killing more 20 people on the second day of a military operation it says is aimed at quenching rocket fire against Israel.
An Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept a rocket from the Gaza Strip in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, July 9, 2014. Besides firing toward Israel's two largest population centers in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Hamas also fired one rocket that reached the northern Israeli city of Hadera for the first time, effectively putting the entire country under rocket range from the north and south.
An Israeli surfer takes shower on a deserted beach due to rocket fire from the nearby Gaza Strip, in Ashdod, Israel, Wednesday, July 9, 2014. The increasing range of the rockets from Gaza has disrupted life across a wide swath of southern and central Israel, where people have been forced to remain close to home and kindergartens and summer camps have been forced to close.
Palestinian family members sit on the rubble of their destroyed house following an Israeli missile strike late Tuesday, in the town of Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, July 9, 2014. A number of airstrikes aimed at wanted militants have also killed family members and bystanders. Many residents have huddled indoors or moved from hard-hit areas to relatives in areas that are believed to be safer.
A man rides his bicycle at the Mediterranean Sea beach front, which is normally crowded at this time of year, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, July 9, 2014. The increasing range of the rockets from Gaza has disrupted life across a wide swath of southern and central Israel, where people have been forced to remain close to home and kindergartens and summer camps have been forced to close.
Israeli missiles hit smuggling tunnels between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, July 9, 2014. Israel and Hamas are bitter enemies and have fought numerous times over the years. But until recently they had been observing a truce that ended the previous hostilities in 2012.
A Palestinian man injured by an Israeli strike receives treatment at the Shifa hospital in Gaza City, Wednesday, July 9, 2014, during the heaviest fighting between Israel and the Islamic militant group Hamas since an eight-day battle in November 2012.