WE all know there is a war going on in Gaza. But it is not until you see these dramatic pictures that you can understand the true depth of devastation inflicted upon the Palestinian people.
It takes little more than a browse to see Israel’s “pinpoint” strikes have dropped enough pins to flatten the city.
This is how Gaza looks at night without electricity and nonstop bombing…
The buzz of drones is an ominous warning: The presence of the eyes in the sky — soon followed by flares — is a sure sign of another incoming air strike or artillery bombardment.
Israel unleashed its heaviest assault of the war yesterday.
The Israeli army said it “targeted over 110 terror sites”.
Simple suburban landscapes have been left as tangles of twisted metal, rubble and the litter that used to represent the lives of residents.
It all started almost a month ago when three Israeli teens were brutally murdered after being abducted in Gaza.
Litter of battle … Used artillery shells cover the ground near Kafar Azza, Israel. Source: Getty Images
Palestine’s Hamas organisation was immediately blamed. The retaliatory attacks began — and the Israeli crowds sat back on their hilltops to watch the carnage unfold below.
The most recent figures state 1230 Palestinians — 240 of them children — have so far been killed. Some 6700 have been injured.
War of the worlds … An Israeli soldier prays on the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza strip yesterday as smoke billows from a power plant following overnight Israeli shelling in the coastal Palestinian enclave. Source: AFP
On the Israeli side, 53 soldiers have been killed since they steamrollered into the blockaded Gaza strip a fortnight ago. Hamas retaliatory missiles have claimed three Israeli civilian lives.
Hamas’ military leader remains defiant as he insisted that the Islamic militants would not cease fire until Israel withdrew Gaza and lifted the blockade of all roads and ports imposed since 2007.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in return, warned Israelis to be prepared for a “prolonged” war.
Culture war … A Palestinian man reacts in front of a destroyed mosque after it was hit by an Israeli air strike in Gaza City yesterday. Source: AFP
Israel has said its troops will not leave Gaza until they have demolished the sophisticated network of Hamas attack tunnels under the Gaza-Israel border and inflicted major damage on the group’s arsenal and rocket launchers.
Urban renewal … Heavy smoke and fire billow following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City yesterday. Source: AFP
As the pictures of Gaza City show, there’s not a lot left to destroy.
As both sides appeared more determined than ever to keep up the fighting, the hostilities have pushed more than 215,000 people, or one Gazan in every eight, to flee their homes in the overcrowded and blockaded territory, according to the World Health Organisation.
Gaza city was yesterday subjected to an intense bombardment yesterday. High-rise buildings were hit and power plants burned to the ground in a barrage that lasted most of the night.
source: news.com.au
STUDIO 3 NEWCASTLE AUSTRALIA 