Brief Pause in Constant Bombing of Gaza During World Cup Final

IMEMC- Palestinians in Gaza have noted a brief pause in the constant barrage of bombs, Sunday night, while the World Cup final game was in progress. F16 fighters continued to circle overhead, and drones continued to buzz along above the rooftops, but very few bombs were dropped during the hour and a half that the game was being played.

The Euro-Mid Observer for Human Rights, based in Geneva, has issued a statement based on the number of bombing raids by the Israeli military over the past six days, saying that the bombs have been hitting Gaza at, on average, one every three minutes for three days straight.

Euro-Mid noted a significant increase in the targeting of civilian institutions by the Israeli army on the fourth day of the attack. The Israeli forces have targeted the Salah school in Deir al-Balah, a water pipeline that supplies more than 20,000 Gazans in the Zaytoun area and a wastewater treatment plant. Furthermore the Israeli forces targeted a car belonging to the municipality of Bureij refugee camp, killing two and wounding several. Israeli has also targeted power lines in Gaza city, Rafah and northern Gaza, leading to a power loss of 45 MW.

The organization also pointed out that the uninterrupted waves of airstrikes and rocket fire have triggered widespread fear among the civilian population in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel, particularly among children, with dozens having to be treated for shock. On Friday, Gaza residents in peripheral areas of the north, centre and south of the territory received warnings via telephone by Israel forces that they should evacuate these areas and move to adjoin urban areas, raising concerns that at a ground offensive and significant displacement may be imminent.

During the same time period, Palestinian fighters responded to the Israeli bombardment by firing several hundred homemade shells toward Israel, causing no deaths, injuries or serious damage.