Israel warning as Tel Aviv targeted

Nov 18 2012

Israeli strikes hit two media centres in the Gaza Strip as Israel warned it was widening its range of targets to go after military commanders of the territory's Hamas rulers.

Palestinian militants fired at least one more long-range rocket at Tel Aviv, the fourth day in a row in which the Israeli heartland has come under fire.

The Israeli strikes, apparently missiles, hit two high-rise buildings. They damaged the top floor offices of the Hamas TV station, Al Aqsa, and a Lebanese-based broadcaster, Al Quds TV, seen as sympathetic to the Islamists.

A Gaza journalists' association said six Palestinian journalists were wounded. Foreign broadcasters, including German and Italian TV outlets, also had offices in the buildings.

The Israeli military said it was aiming at a communications antenna on the roof of one of the buildings. They also said another long-range rocket was launched at Tel Aviv, but that it was intercepted by the "Iron Dome" missile defence system. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that two rockets were fired.

Five Palestinian civilians have been killed in latest airstrikes, including four children ranging in age from one to seven, according to Ashraf al-Kidra, a Gaza health official. Two of the children, a three-year-old girl and a five-year-old boy, were from the same family and were killed by an airstrike on their home in the Jebaliya refugee camp.

The deaths bring to 51 the number of Palestinians killed since the operation began on Wednesday. One third of the dead were civilians, and more than 400 civilians have been wounded, Mr al-Kidra said. On the Israeli side, three civilians have been killed and more than 50 wounded by rocket fire.

Israel's military spokesman warned that Israel would now go after Hamas commanders, in addition to rocket squads, in "more targeted, more surgical and more deadly" attacks.

Brig Gen Yoav Mordechai made the threat as Israel found itself at the crossroads of whether to launch a ground invasion or pursue Egyptian-led truce efforts. Israel has said it is not prepared to enter into a truce without guarantees the rocket fire will not resume.

Gaza militants have widened their rocket range, compared with previous conflicts, firing rockets towards Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and putting 3.5 million Israelis, or nearly half the country's population, within reach.