Gaza, January 2, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - On Saturday midnight, Israeli warplanes carried out attacks across the Gaza Strip, damaging residential areas and leaving number of Palestinians wounded.

The Israeli airstrikes which targeted residential areas in northern and central Gaza Strip caused panic among children. The civilian citizens were scared as these attacks reminded them of the war they lived a year ago.

Eyewitnesses said that the Israeli warplanes were flying in low altitude later the Israeli F16 fighters fired two missiles and Israeli tanks fired two shells that landed at empty areas east and northeast of Gaza City. Besides, they opened the fire towards Al-Toufah and Al-Shejaya neighborhoods. The Israeli warplanes attacked an empty land at Ezbet Abed Rabiouh in north Gaza and another one in Al-Karara in Khan Younis city, in south Gaza Strip.

According to medical sources, ambulances took the wounded from eastern Gaza to hospital for medical treatment.

An Israeli army spokesman confirmed the attacks. He said that the strikes targeted "two terrorist tunnels" near the Gaza-Israel border, which he said were intended for attacks on targets inside Israel. He added that the airstrikes came in retaliation for a mortar shell that was fired on the Israeli city of Netivot on Thursday, causing no injuries, Ma'an reported.

Photo by Mohammed Asad