Eyewitnesses said Israel launched at least 40 airstrikes on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip targeting government buildings, including the prime minister's office, the interior, defense and finance ministries, as well as schools and the Islamic University, which is viewed as an "ideological cradle" for Islamists.
Approximately 360 people are believed to have died and over 1,500 injured since the large-scale air offensive on Gaza began on Saturday in what Israel said was an "all-out war" on Hamas in response to mortar attacks by militants in Gaza.
Deputy Prime Minister Haim Ramon said on television on Monday, "The goal of the operation is to topple Hamas."
In response to Israeli airstrikes, Palestinian militants launched over 80 rockets and mortar shells on southern Israel killing three people with over 35 others injured, some of them seriously.
Defense minister Ehud Barak announced "a special situation" for settlements located within a 30-km zone from Gaza, including Ashdod, Ashkelon, Kiryat Gat, Netivot and Sderot, which have a combined population of over 400,000.
Regions which directly border Gaza have been declared a "closed military zone."
Tel Aviv has mobilized up to 6,500 reservists and deployed tanks on Gaza's border in preparation for a possible ground offensive on the coastal enclave of 1.5 million Palestinians.
Foreign ministers of EU countries will gather in Paris later Tuesday for emergency talks on Gaza. The meeting, to be chaired by French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner, will focus on combining efforts with the rest of the international community to find a way to overcome the crisis.
Digg
Reddit
Stumbleupon
Delicious
Facebook
