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Witnesses: Israeli warplanes strike on Gaza Strip
www.chinaview.cn 2009-02-02 06:36:08 Print

GAZA, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes on Sunday night on several targets in the Gaza Strip, including an empty Hamas police station and the borderline between Gaza and Egypt, witnesses said.

Residents of the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah, which borders Egypt, said that Israeli F-16 warplanes fired at least four heavy bombs at the borderline area between their town and Egypt, with no injuries reported.

Hasan Abu Jazzar, resident of Rafah, said Israeli F-16 warplanes hovered over Rafah town and fire so far four heavy bombs at the borderline, aiming at destroying underground tunnels used for smuggling goods.

He said that tunnels' owners and workers had evacuated the borderline area earlier on Sunday evening, after receiving warning text messages on their mobiles that they have to leave the area.

Abu Jazzar said that he saw dozens of families leaving their homes earlier this evening and moving to safer places in the northern area of the town, after receiving the same warning text messages in Arabic language from Israel.

Earlier on Sunday night, Israeli jets had twice struck an empty police station that belongs to the deposed government of Hamas in central Gaza Strip, and no injuries were reported, witnesses and security sources said.

The witnesses said that Israeli F-16 warplanes hovered over the central area of the Gaza Strip, and struck by one missile a policepost that belongs to the Hamas police, adding the post was completely destroyed, but no injuries reported.

The Israeli warplane airstrikes on Hamas police station came hours after eight homemade rockets and mortar shells were fired from the Gaza Strip at Israeli communities in the vicinity of the enclave into Israel.

No one claimed responsibility for the rockets and mortars' attacks. However, Israel held Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip responsible for the attacks that were carried out from Gaza at Israel.

In Jan. 18, Israel and Gaza militant groups declared a unilateral ceasefire separately, following a furious 22-day Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip, where around 1,400 people were killed and 5,500 wounded.

Efforts are still exerted by Egypt to mediate longer term truce between Israel and Gaza militants, led by Hamas movement. A one-and-half-year ceasefire is expected to be declared on Feb. 5.