Many killed as Israeli air strikes hit Gaza

By Nathan Morley

Reports suggest that leaders from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) Khaled Mansour and Tayseer Jabari were among the 32 Palestinians reported to have been killed during Israeli air strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip.

More than 120 people have been injured.

According to the Israelis, dozens of Islamic Jihad targets have been struck, including weapons storage facilities and rocket manufacturing sites

On Saturday, Israel arrested 19 members of PIJ in raids across the West Bank after a volley of rockets were fired from Gaza towards the Jewish state on Friday, most of them intercepted.

Ongoing flareup in tensions

Israeli state radio says nearly 600 Palestinian rockets and mortars have been fired at Israel in the last 48 hours.

On Sunday, rockets fired from Gaza Strip even reached Jerusalem.

Now, the Israeli military is warning this latest operation - dubbed ‘Breaking Dawn’ - could last for a week.

The Israeli Defence Force said its attacks targeted sites linked to PIJ, including the high-rise Palestine Tower in Gaza City.

The latest violence is the most serious flare-up in just over a year.