Israeli warplanes destroyed a Hamas complex, security installations and home of a top commander as the toll in Gaza crossed 370.
JERUSALEM: Israeli warplanes destroyed a Hamas complex, security installations and home of a top commander as the toll in the military operation against Gaza crossed 370 on the fourth day, while Palestinian militants fired at least a dozen rockets into the Jewish nation.
With hundreds of Israeli troops and tanks amassed at the border with Gaza, prime minister Ehud Olmert said the bombardment of Hamas targets is so far "the first of several stages" of action approved by the security cabinet.
Over 370 Palestinians have died since the Israeli air onslaught began on Saturday, including at least 64 civilians according to the UN figures, even as Israel said it was ready for a "prolonged conflict".
Among those killed were two sisters, aged 4 and 11, who perished in an airstrike on a rocket squad in northern Gaza on Tuesday.
Palestinians said that Israeli missiles flattened five ministerial buildings and a structure belonging to the Islamic University in Gaza City, the
Haaretz daily reported.
An Israeli attack also targeted a house in the Jabaliya refugee camp, killing seven people, while another hit the home of Abdel-Karim Jaber, a Hamas political figure who is a senior administrator at Gaza's Islamic University.
However, he was not at home and it wasn't immediately clear if anyone was hurt in the strike, the paper said.
Hamas's Interior Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Treasury, and Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh's offices were amongst the targets, as well as Gaza police stations.
Israel deputy defence minister said the Jewish nation was ready to continue the offensive for weeks.
"We are ready for a prolonged conflict and for weeks of combat," Matan Vilnai told public radio.
Meanwhile, Hamas militants fired over a dozen rockets and continued their mortar assaults into Israeli territory killing three Israeli civilians and a soldier and bringing a widening circle of targets into their sights with an arsenal of more powerful weapons, Haaretz said.
Military estimates said close to 700,000 Israelis are now within rocket range, with militants firing over 250 rockets since the offensive began. Hamas also warned of more "resistance" from the group.
"Zionists, wait for more from the resistance," Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan was quoted as saying in reports.
Meanwhile, some 100 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies were allowed to enter the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom border crossing. In addition, five new ambulances donated by Turkey were also allowed into the Strip, the
Jerusalem Post said.
The Israeli offensive comes on top of a blockade imposed on Gaza that has prevented all but essential goods from entering the impoverished territory since Hamas seized control in June 2007.
Under pressure from Arab countries, Egypt opened its border on Tuesday to let some of the wounded from Gaza cross over and also to let some humanitarian supplies pass in.
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