The Israeli army air forces continued early on Sunday airstrikes on different targets belonging to Islamic Hamas movement and its government in the Gaza Strip leaving 271 people killed since Saturday.
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Bodies of Palestinian Hamas policemen are scattered on the ground following an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on December 27, 2008. About 200 Palestinians were killed and hundreds wounded in a series of simultaneous Israeli air strikes in Gaza Strip. (Xinhua photo]
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Hamas movement said in a statement that the last airstrike was carried out on the building of Hamas cabinet headed by deposed prime minister Ismail Haneya, causing severe destruction to the buildings and several casualties.
The movement said in a statement that the Israeli army warplanes, F16 and Apache helicopters carried out around 25 airstrikes on different targets and buildings allover the Gaza Strip.
Mo'aweya Hassanein, chief of emergency services in the Palestinian Health Ministry told reporters that the death toll since Saturday morning hit to 271 people killed and 900 wounded, 120 of them are in serious conditions.
"All Gaza Strip Hospitals are in a status of emergency receiving bodies and casualties of people were hit by the Israeli air missiles. Gaza hospitals suffer from a severe lack of medical aids and equipment," said Hassanein.
Hamas said that the Israeli airstrikes overnight and early on Sunday morning had targeted a mosque in Gaza, al-Aqsa Television station of Hamas, metal workshops suspected for manufacturing homemade rockets and police stations.
Israel has on Saturday started it's military operation called " the Poured Lead" on the Gaza Strip. The operation was started with unprecedented intensive airstrikes on Hamas police installations.
Gaza Strip streets looked empty of traffic and people, where all stores and shops as well as schools and universities closed down, as Hamas government announced a three-day grief and mourning.
Among the senior people were killed on Saturday was General Tawfiq Jabber and the governor of central Gaza Abu Ahmed Aashour and Colonel Ismail al-Ja'bari, chief of internal security in Hamas police.
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