At least 13 people have been killed and 20 were injured in Israeli air raids on the Gaza Strip at dawn Tuesday.
Dr. Muhammad Abu Salmiya Director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex confirmed that the latest Israeli attacks’ death toll rose to 13 after a 17-year-old girl died of her serious injuries.
Four children and six women were among the victims he added.
The Ministry of Health earlier declared that 12 people were killed in the Gaza Strip and at least 20 others were injured in the Israeli air attacks stressing that ambulance crews are continuing to evacuate victims from the targeted areas.
The ministry affirmed that nine of the 12 people killed in the Israeli air raids were civilians.
20 others that were injured in the missile attacks were also civilians.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement (PIJ) has announced that three of its leaders — Jihad al-Ghannam Khalil al-Bahtini and Tariq Izz al-Deen — were killed in the Israeli attacks along with their wives and some of their children.
The three were killed along with their wives and some of their children the group said in a statement which did not give details on their wives or how many children were killed and their ages.
Witnesses said an explosion hit the top floor of an apartment building in Gaza City and a house in the southern city of Rafah late Monday and at dawn Tuesday.
The Israeli army said the air attacks codenamed “Operation Shield and Arrow” targeted three Palestinian Islamic Jihad leaders who it claimed were responsible for recent rockets fired towards Israel.
The Israeli military noted that 40 aircraft and drones were involved in the attacks on the Gaza Strip.
