Israel continues to pound Gaza despite ceasefire

By Moustafa Maged Haboosh,Hamdi Yıldız</p> <p>GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Israeli warplanes continue to strike Gaza City Tuesday despite reports of a ceasefire.</p> <p>According to witnesses, the Israeli bombardment targeted a post belonging to the Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, in the town of Beit Hanun in the northern Gaza Strip, causing a huge fire at the nearby Omar bin Abdulaziz Mosque.</p> <p>It was also reported that Israeli warplanes and artillery units are continuing to strike a large number of agricultural areas in southern, northern and central Gaza.</p> <p>The Israeli army confirmed that its warplanes had carried out 15 bombardments in the Gaza Strip.</p> <p>The army stated that the attacks were carried out in response to rockets launched from the Gaza Strip on Monday.</p> <p>Hamas announced late Monday that Egypt had managed to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza-based resistance factions. Neither Israel nor Egypt have officially confirmed the reported ceasefire arrangement.</p> <p>On Monday morning, rocket fire emanating from Gaza reportedly left seven Israelis injured.</p> <p>Israel responded by pounding Hamas positions across the Gaza Strip, to which Palestinian resistance factions responded in turn by firing rockets at two Israeli cities located near the Hamas-run coastal enclave.</p> <p>The Israeli army has reportedly deployed missile-defense batteries in several locations across the country while sending two additional infantry brigades to the Gaza-Israel buffer zone.</p> <p>*Writing By Erdogan Cagatay Zontur