'Israeli airstrikes damaged 500 Palestinian homes'

By Mohamad Majeed</p> <p>GAZA (AA) – A total of 500 houses in the Gaza Strip were damaged by the latest Israeli airstrikes, Palestine's public works minister said late Tuesday.</p> <p>&quot;In Israeli airstrikes against Gaza, 30 houses were completely destroyed and 500 houses were damaged,&quot; Mufeed al-Hasayneh said in a statement.</p> <p>He added that they are working to remove the traces of the airstrikes and alleviate the pain of their people.</p> <p>Israel launched a wave of airstrikes Monday across the Gaza Strip following rocket fire from the enclave which injured seven Israelis north of Tel Aviv. </p> <p>The army 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>Hamas announced late Monday that Egypt had managed to secure a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza-based resistance factions. </p> <p>While there was no comment from Egypt, several Israeli officials denied that a cease-fire deal had been reached.