Israel continues to pound Gaza despite ceasefire

GAZA CITY, Palestine

Israeli warplanes continue to strike Gaza City Tuesday despite reports of a ceasefire.

According to witnesses, the Israeli bombardment targeted a post belonging to the Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, in the town of Beit Hanun in the northern Gaza Strip, causing a huge fire at the nearby Omar bin Abdulaziz Mosque.

It was also reported that Israeli warplanes and artillery units are continuing to strike a large number of agricultural areas in southern, northern and central Gaza.

The Israeli army confirmed that its warplanes had carried out 15 bombardments in the Gaza Strip.

The army stated that the attacks were carried out in response to rockets launched from the Gaza Strip on Monday.

Hamas announced late Monday that Egypt had managed to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza-based resistance factions. Neither Israel nor Egypt have officially confirmed the reported ceasefire arrangement.

On Monday morning, rocket fire emanating from Gaza reportedly left seven Israelis injured.

Israel responded by pounding Hamas positions across the Gaza Strip, to which Palestinian resistance factions responded in turn by firing rockets at two Israeli cities located near the Hamas-run coastal enclave.

The Israeli army has reportedly deployed missile-defense batteries in several locations across the country while sending two additional infantry brigades to the Gaza-Israel buffer zone.

*Writing By Erdogan Cagatay Zontur