Israel destroys residential building as it brutally pounds Gaza

Israeli jets targeted a five-storey residential building in the Gaza Strip as it continued its deadly assault on the besieged enclave.

The residential building, targeted on Saturday, was completely destroyed and severe damage was caused to the homes surrounding it, medics at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza city told Chinese news agency Xinhua.

The residential building is located near Al-Shifa Medical Complex, the largest hospital in the besieged enclave, located in the centre of Gaza city.

The Israeli drones fired a warning missile at the building before the attack, allowing them to evacuate their own homes leaving them free from injuries.

The Israeli army did not comment on its targeting of residential buildings, an act considered a war crime, but Israel consistently claims that militants in Gaza use civilian areas as shields to justify their indiscriminate attacks on the besieged enclave.

Israel on Friday began a bombing campaign on the besieged enclave, in which health authorities in Gaza said at least 32 people have been killed - including six children and 256 wounded, including 96 children, 30 women and 12 elderly.

Israel says the deadly assault was launched in response to an imminent threat from Islamic Jihad fighters to its citizens in the area around Gaza.

The fighting is the worst in Gaza since a war last year devastated the impoverished coastal territory, home to some 2.3 million Palestinians, and forced Israelis to seek shelter from rockets.

The Israeli army said it had struck 139 Islamic Jihad positions, with the militants firing 470 rockets that had crossed into Israel, while another 115 rockets fired from Gaza fell inside the enclave.

Moreover, Israel also warned that its aggression on the besieged enclave could "last a week" or even longer, according to military spokesperson Ran Kochav.