Israeli warplanes carried out air strikes on two Palestinian Authority police buildings in Gaza City early Friday morning. Twenty Palestinians were injured in the strikes - 18 security personnel and two civilians, a father and his son who were on their way to prayers, according to the Tel Aviv-based Haaretz.
The attacks reduced two four-storey buildings to rubble, officials and witnesses said. Two huge explosions sent a large plume of smoke billowing over the area.
AFP said that an Israeli F-16 warplane dropped two 1,000-pound (400 kilogram) bombs on the Palestinian police headquarters in Gaza City, wounding 18 people and destroying two buildings.
Dozens of people were treated for shock.
The Israeli army claimed that one of the buildings housed a factory for the production of mortar shells under the protection of Palestinian police, according to Israel Radio repoted.
An army spokesman also said that the attacks were in response to continuing mortar fire in the Gaza Strip. This was the first attack by the Israel Air Force after a 48-hour break from carrying out operations in the territories. Israeli forces also arrested Palestinians in PA-controlled areas east of Jenin and east of Khan Yunis.
Later on Friday tanks accompanied by bulldozers entered Area A in Jenin and destroyed "roads and infastructure," said Palestinian sources.
Six mortars were fired Thursday at the Gush Katif settlement bloc in the Gaza Strip, said tha paper.
The attacks on the Israeli targets came after a 48-hour lull, stepping up pressure on beleaguered Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and accusing him of failing to rein in Islamic militants, according to AFP.
The raids came hours just hours before Arafat and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres were to meet for key security talks arranged by US peace envoy Anthony Zinni in a last-ditch attempt to get the peace process back on track.
And they punctuated remarks by Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher, who had made an urgent peace-seeking trip to the area a day earlier, and who said on returning home Friday that his mission had "failed." – Albawaba.com
