Israel bombs Hamas homes, Gaza mosque

Army claims mosque was used to store weapons; carnage continues for 7th day

Offensive: Palestinians gather around a mosque destroyed in an Israeli missile strike yesterday. Pic/AP

Army claims mosque was used to store weapons; carnage continues for 7th day

Israel bombed a mosque it says was used to store weapons and destroyed the homes of more than a dozen Hamas operatives yesterday, the seventh day of a blistering offensive in Gaza and the day after an airstrike killed a prominent Hamas figure.

The military called at least some of the houses ahead of time to warn inhabitants of an impending attack. In some cases, it also fired a sound bomb to warn away civilians before flattening the homes with powerful missiles, Palestinians and Israeli defense officials said. Israel launched the aerial campaign last week in a bid to halt intensifying rocket fire from Gaza. The offensive has dealt a heavy blow to Hamas, but has failed to halt the rocket fire.