Jerusalem, Jan 6 Israeli warplanes and drones bombed more than 100 sites across the Gaza Strip over the weekend, the Israeli military said in a statement, with Palestinian health officials reporting nearly 200 fatalities.
In the statement, the military said on Sunday that the airstrikes were directed at militant targets, including launch sites allegedly used to fire three rockets toward Israel on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported.
The strikes reportedly killed "dozens" of Hamas fighters, according to the Israeli Defense Forces and Shin Bet.
The Hamas-run Gaza Media Office reported on Saturday evening that at least 184 people were killed during about 92 Israeli airstrikes and shelling incidents over the weekend.
Earlier on Saturday the Hamas-run Gaza media office said that the Israeli army carried out 94 airstrikes and shelling on the Gaza Strip over the past 72 hours, killing 184 people.
In its statement, the office described the escalation as "dangerous and brutal," targeting unarmed civilians and residential areas, particularly in Gaza City.
It added that many of the victims, either killed or injured, remained trapped under rubble, with damaged infrastructure obstructing their recovery and access to hospitals.
Palestinian Civil Defence officials in Gaza confirmed that Israeli airstrikes had intensified violently over the past three days, which local residents have described as an extraordinarily difficult period.
The statement held the Israeli army fully responsible for these "horrific crimes" and also criticised the US administration for providing Israel with weapons and political support.
It called on the international community and the UN Security Council to uphold their legal and moral obligations by dispatching independent investigative teams to document these "heinous crimes" and ensure accountability for the perpetrators.
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