Gaza: Israel Air Strike Razes 13-Storey Building to Ground

Israel launched air strikes in Gaza City on Sunday, destroying a 13-storey apartment tower, following a warning to the residents to evacuate.

Also, two people were killed in another air strike by the Israelis in Gaza, hours after the attack on the Al Zafer Tower brought it crashing to the ground, according to medical officials. 

The Israeli military defended their action, claiming they had warned the residents to evacuate the building, before they razed it to the ground. They said that a non-explosive rocket was fired 10 minutes before the actual strike, to warn the civilians of the impending danger.

The military further stated that they believed that the building contained a Hamas command centre, and that was the main reason for the attack.

There were 44 families in living in the building, according to Reuters. Reports from the medical officials in the region suggest that 17 people have been injured in the air strike.

Meanwhile, Palestinian militants have not relented on their cross-border fire on Israel. They have mostly been using rocket fire to inflict damage upon Israelis.

Egypt has been trying to play the peacemaker in the region, calling for the two parties to engage in talks, instead of war. However, the North African country's efforts have failed so far. The two sides showed no signs of a ceasefire even after Egypt called for a truce.

There have also been reports of rockets being fired into Israel from the north. Apparently, two rockets - fired from Lebanon - ended up in Israeli territory. However, neither Israel nor Lebanon could confirm who was behind the attacks.

A further five rockets were fired from Syrian territory and landed on Golan Heights, which is occupied by Israel. All rockets seem to have fallen in empty areas and, according to official reports, nobody was hurt.