Palestinians officials: Bloodiest 24 hours yet in Gaza
(CBS News) Despite efforts towards a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, Israeli fighters jets continued their aggressive airstrike campaign on Tuesday night, as naval warships supplemented the air attacks, firing dozens of rounds into Gaza.
Palestinian officials told CBS News' Charlie D'Agata that the past 24 hours have been the bloodiest yet in the weeklong fight. One airstrike leveled a Gaza City block, taking out the Interior Ministry building. The Israeli military have called the ministry building a commanding control center for Hamas, thereby making it a legitimate target for the attack, but Palestinians continue to suffer widespread civilian casualties. Palestinian officials say more than 140 people have been killed, and 1,000 wounded.
- Work, stress and death in Gaza City
- Timeline of recent Israel-Gaza violence
- Hamas kills suspected collaborators with Israel, witnesses say
Another blast landed in a soccer field in a neighborhood of apartment buildings and hotels, and rattled the hotel where many foreign journalists -- including a CBS News crew -- were staying. D'Agata called the strike, "a close up example of the barrage of attacks that have come by land, air, and sea," and described the ongoing attacks as "sustained and relentless."
And, after a bomb exploded on an Israeli bus near the entrance to Israel's defense headquarters in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, there is a growing concern in Gaza about the threat of retaliatory attacks. Hamas has not claimed responsibility for the attack but a Hamas spokesperson said, "Hamas blesses the attack."