Israeli warplanes hit Hamas offices

• Article
• Comments ()
• Click-2-Listen
• Videos

By

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Israeli aircraft fired missiles at the Palestinian prime minister's office early today, just hours after a Palestinian official said the soldier whose abduction sent Israeli troops into the Gaza Strip is alive and in stable condition.

A Hamas militant was killed in another Israeli air strike.

Witnesses said two missiles hit the Gaza City office of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas early today, leaving one bystander slightly injured and setting the empty building on fire.

Inspecting his burning office, Mr. Haniyeh called the Israeli attack senseless.

"They have targeted a symbol for the Palestinian people," he said.

The Israeli military confirmed the attack and said it would "employ all means at its disposal ... to secure the safe return" of Cpl. Gilad Shalit, 19, who was abducted by Palestinian militants last Sunday.

The missiles struck at about 1:45 a.m., shortly after moderate Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas warned that the coming hours would be "critical, sensitive and serious" for trying to calm the crisis.

In other air strikes after midnight, Israeli aircraft hit a school in Gaza City and Hamas facilities in northern Gaza, where a Hamas militant was killed and another wounded, Palestinian officials said.

The military said Hamas was "planning terror attacks against Israel." The 34-year-old Hamas gunman was the second militant killed in the five-day-old Israeli operation to force the release of Cpl. Shalit.

Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants exchanged fire for several hours yesterday afternoon when Israeli tanks and bulldozers crossed into Gaza and began razing farmland east of Khan Younis.