Gazans report dozens of Israeli bombs dropped in various parts of Gaza Strip

20 Jul

10:36 PM

As night fell on Friday evening, after an Israeli airstrike killed 5 Palestinian fighters that afternoon, reports began coming in on Twitter from different parts of Gaza showing Israeli fighter jets dropping bombs.

The extent of the damage is unknown as of yet, and the airstrikes appear to be ongoing. As the loudspeakers sounded the call to evening prayer from mosques across the Occupied Territory, the sound of Israeli fighter jets filled the sky, and bombs began to fall.

The bombing came just hours after Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman stated that he was planning to launch a large-scale war in Gaza similar to the one in 2014, in which 2200 people were killed. In his statement, he said the ‘Palestinian people will pay the price’ for the continued non-violent protests at the border, which have been going on for 100 days.

One woman in Khan Younis filmed a bombing on her phone, and posted it on Twitter with the caption, “I have heard twenty bombs in the last 30 minutes”. Several people live streamed on Facebook from different parts of Gaza, as the bombs began to drop.

The Israeli strikes were carried out in several parts of the Gaza Strip, including sites run by the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed of Hamas, in Rafah and Khan Younis, in addition to missiles fired into the Zeitoun neighborhoods, east of Gaza city, causing several injuries.

The soldiers also fired at least eleven missiles into two sites, west of Khan Younis, causing serious damage.

The Israeli army claims it “was retaliating to shells fired against its soldiers near Gaza’s eastern border area, while Hamas said it was retaliating to the killing of four Palestinians by army missiles, Friday.

Furthermore, Israeli navy ships fired many live rounds at Palestinian fishing boats, near Gaza city, wounding one fisherman, and causing damage to several boats. The soldiers also sprayed many boats with waste-water mixed with chemicals.