Israel launched a "dramatic" series of airstrikes against terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip overnight Monday, a senior Israeli Air Force official told Israel Hayom.
"We are currently engaged in a major offensive on Hamas and other organizations in the Gaza Strip, and this time our offensive is drastically different from what we did in the past, both in terms of the number and the quality of the targets.
"We are talking about targets that are of major significance to the enemy, both practically and conceptually," the official said.
Israeli jets attacked more than 100 terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip overnight Monday, after Hamas fired a massive barrage of missiles into Israel.
The latest escalation was triggered by a botched raid by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, which resulted in an Israeli officer being killed and another wounded. Seven Hamas operatives were also killed in the incident, including a key Hamas commander. The exact nature of the operation and the identities of the troops were not cleared for publication by the Israeli military censor.
The aerial attacks on Monday night focused on Hamas and Islamic Jihad installations, including a weapons depot, a military compound and a munitions factory. The Israeli Navy also fired on a Hamas naval vessel docked in the southern Gaza Strip. The attacks continued on Tuesday morning.
The headquarters of the Hamas TV station Al-Aqsa Television, in Gaza City was also bombed Monday. Israeli authorities called the station in advance to warn of the imminent attack, giving those inside time to evacuate. Israeli aircraft also dropped at least five non-exploding missiles nearby as warnings, witnesses said.
There was no immediate word of casualties in the strike, which destroyed the TV station's premises and damaged nearby buildings.
