Israeli Air Strike Kills Top Hamas Leader’s Family
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The elder son of senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya was killed along with his family members by Israel’s mortar shelling in the eastern Gaza Strip on Sunday, Palestinian sources said.
The Israeli air strike on the house of Hayya in the Shejaia district killed his son and daughter-in-law and two small grandchildren on Sunday morning, according to hospital officials.
Israel said on Sunday it had expanded its ground offensive in the blockaded Gaza Strip.
Gaza residents said land and naval shellings were the heaviest in 13 days of the conflict. Explosions rocked the coastal enclave overnight and shells fired by Israeli naval forces lit up the sky.
Israel has launched a ground invasion in the Gaza Strip since Thursday after 10 days of bombardment of the enclave from the air and sea.
A total of 370 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 2,700 have been wounded in the 13-day Israeli assault on the densely-populated enclave of 1.8 million Palestinians.
On Israel's side, five soldiers and two civilians have died.
