Israel destroys Gaza's only power plant

Gaza: Citizens of Gaza endured a relentless night of bombardment as Israeli aircraft, tanks and navy gunships launched 150 strikes across the coastal strip, razing homes and hitting targets such as the home of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and the Ministry of Finance.

The ground shook across much of Gaza, after Israel sent texts and dropped leaflets from the sky warning residents of several towns, such as Jabalia, Zeitoun, Beit Hanoun and Shajaiyah, warning them to evacuate. A short time later, the shelling began.

By daybreak on Tuesday, the sky across Gaza was black with smoke and thick clouds of dust clogged the air following hours of explosions. Up to 32 people died in the overnight attacks, local medical sources said. Casualties included the commander of Islamic Jihad’s Rahah Brigade, Ahmed Najam Abu Hamda, as well as 11 people from one family in a strike on a home in the Bureij refugee camp.

In a televised speech on Monday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government was prepared for a prolonged campaign in Gaza. His comments came after the Israeli Defence Forces confirmed another five solders had been killed when militants from Gaza used a tunnel that led into the Nahal Oz community to stage an attack.

Their deaths bring the number of soldiers killed on Monday to 10, and 53 since Israel launched its military offensive against Gaza on July 8. Two Israeli civilians and a Thai national were also killed.

The IDF says militants in Gaza fired 51 rockets and mortar shells at Israel on Monday, after one of many temporary, conditional ceasefires collapsed.

The Israeli military released a map it says represents some of the tunnels militants have built that lead into Israel from Gaza. It confirmed it had located 31 tunnels and destroyed almost 20.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern Israel was dropping leaflets warning residents to leave their homes and evacuate to Gaza city.

“If true, this would have a further devastating humanitarian impact on the beleaguered civilians of those areas of the Gaza Strip, who have already undergone immense suffering in recent days,” he said.

“The United Nations agencies present in Gaza do not have the resources on the ground to cope with, or provide assistance to, an enormous extra influx of desperate people.”

He urged all sides to avoid further escalation of the conflict and to maintain proportionality in any kind of military response.

Earlier on Monday, eyewitnesses reported a missile hit Shamali Street in Gaza’s al-Shati camp. Ambulance sirens wailed above the cries of shocked families who had, minutes earlier, raced from their houses to find at least eight children torn to pieces by rocket fire.

Two adults were also killed and at least 40 others wounded, some critically, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said on Monday.

Israel denied it was responsible for the strike on the camp, or the rocket that hit the grounds of Shifa Hospital at around the same time, saying a rocket misfired by Palestinian militants in Gaza was to blame.

"We have not fired on the hospital or on Shati refugee camp,” Major Arye Shalicar of the IDF told Agence France-Presse.

"We know that Hamas was firing from both areas and the missiles struck these places," he said, noting that 200 missiles fired by Gaza militants had fallen short and landed inside the Gaza Strip.

Hamas was quick to blame Israel for the two attacks, with Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri saying Israel was attempting “to escape from this crime and its fears that this crime will be exposed and [it will be] held judicially accountable".

"In addition, explosives experts have seized the remains of Israeli rockets that fell in those two places," Mr Abu Zuhri’s statement read.

At least 1079 Palestinians have been killed in the 21-day military operation and a further 6470 have been injured. Human rights groups and the health ministry in Gaza said about 80 per cent had been civilians, many of them children.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency said there were already more than 180,000 Palestinians from around Gaza sheltering in its schools and buildings after they were forced to evacuate to escape Israel’s air, ground and naval operations.

Mr Netanyahu addressed the nation on Monday night in a televised statement, saying: "We will not end this operation without neutralising the tunnels, whose sole purpose is killing our citizens.

"We need to be prepared for a protracted campaign. We will continue to act with force and discretion until our mission is accomplished," he said, vowing that Israeli troops would not leave Gaza until they had destroyed Hamas' tunnel network.

Meanwhile the Obama administration hit back against a barrage of Israeli criticism over US Secretary of State John Kerry's efforts to secure a ceasefire, accusing some in Israel of launching a "misinformation campaign" by leaking what the US described as a draft plan.

"It's simply not the way partners and allies treat each other," Associated Press reported State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki as saying.