GAZA/JERUSALEM — Israel pummelled Gaza with artillery fire and airstrikes on Friday as it targeted Palestinian militant tunnels to try to stop persistent rocket attacks on Israeli towns.
In a 40-minute, pre-dawn offensive, at least 13 Palestinians were killed, including a mother and her three children whose bodies were pulled from the rubble of their home, health officials in Gaza said.
The Israeli operation included 160 aircraft as well as tanks and artillery firing from outside the Gaza Strip, Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said.
Palestinian rocket barrages against southern Israel swiftly followed on the fifth day of the most serious figh…
Keep on reading: Israel pounds Gaza to curb Palestinian militants but rockets still fly