11 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes

At least 11 Palestinians were killed Wednesday in a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting the Gaza Strip, medical sources said.

Ashraf al-Qedra, a health ministry official, said two teenaged brothers were killed in an Israeli air raid on Shuja'ya neighbourhood in east of Gaza City, Xinhua reported.

A woman in her twenties and her two-year-old baby were killed when an Israeli jet bombed their house in Zaitoun neighbourhood, south of Gaza City, al-Qedra said, adding that another woman and her 14-year-old son were also killed in Israeli air raids.

In addition to that, two young men in their twenties were killed in separate air raids on southern Gaza.

Earlier in the day, three Palestinians, including an old woman, were killed as Israeli warplanes hit central Gaza Strip.

Israel has launched a massive air campaign codenamed Operation Protective Edge on Gaza early Tuesday morning, following nearly 300 rockets fired from the Strip toward Israel's southern communities.

Over the past two days, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has launched approximately 430 air strikes on Gaza.

The death toll in Gaza mounted to 35, and more than 300 Palestinians were injured, with 40 houses being completely destroyed.

Israel has announced it would enlarge its operation against Gaza, warning that the Islamic Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, would pay a heavy price.

Meanwhile, Hamas said it would not stop launching rocket attacks on Israel as long as the airstrikes continued.