38 Palestinians killed as Israel bombs Hamas targets in Gaza

At least 38 Palestinians have been killed, including 11 women and children today, as the Israeli military pounded militant positions in Gaza while almost the whole of Israel came under rocket fire from Hamas which warned that all Israelis are now targets.
Hamas-ruled Gaza witnessed its bloodiest day since November, 2012 as Israel's military said it targeted 118 concealed rocket launchers, 10 Hamas command-and-control centres and 10 tunnels, overnight injuring nearly 300.
It brought to 440 the number of targets in Gaza attacked as part of "Operation Protective Edge".
The military said 117 rockets had hit Israel yesterday, with the Iron Dome interceptor system shooting down 20 while three rockets landed around Jerusalem, the BBC reported.

At least one militant was among the 17 killed today as well as six children and five women, Palestinian emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said.
Israeli Air Force strikes across the coastal strip which targeted 160 sites, including homes of eight senior Hamas operatives, Muhammad Sinwar and Ra'ed Atar, as efforts to stop rocket attacks on Israel's southern areas intensified.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said their houses served as Hamas command centres and were used in coordinating the rocket fire on Israel's south.
Israeli warplanes also bombed the home of a senior Islamic Jihad militant in Beit Hanoun post-midnight, killing him and five members of his family.

A Gaza health ministry spokesman confirmed that the attack killed Hafiz Hamad and five members of his family.
The deaths brought to 28 the number of casualties since the launch of Israel's 'Operation Protective Edge' early yesterday, with the Israeli army not ruling out the possibility of a major ground offensive having called 40,000 reservists on duty.
Twenty-four of those killed in Gaza died in air strikes yesterday, four Hamas militants were killed staging a beachfront assault on an army base just north of the besieged strip, and nine others were killed just before the start of the operation.
Residents of Jerusalem were caught off-guard yesterday evening as sirens wailed across the Holy City and three loud explosions were heard and a series of flashes lit the sky.

Israeli Police said that one rocket fell in the vicinity of Ramat Raziel, some 10 kilometres from the city's southwestern flank and two more fell in outlying areas, but caused no casualty.