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Israel and militants trade fresh fire as Gaza toll rises

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Israel and militants in the Gaza Strip have continued to trade fire overnight after Israel vowed to press on with its offensive to stop rocket fire.

Some 121 Palestinians have been killed, Palestinian sources say. The UN says more than three-quarters are civilians.

Israel says it hit more than “60 terror targets” in new raids. Two rockets hit Beersheba in Israel, the military said.

Hundreds of missiles and rockets have been fired since Israel began its operation five days ago.

Israel says it is targeting militants and militant facilities, including the homes of senior operatives. It says “dozens of terrorists” are among those killed.

There is no sign of both sides agreeing on a ceasefire, despite intense diplomacy at the United Nations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that his country will resist foreign pressure to halt its operations.

“The objective is to restore quiet to the cities of Israel, and I intend to achieve this objective,” he said.

James Reynolds reports from a petrol station gutted by a rocket attack in the Israeli city of Ashdod

Palestinian medical officials reported on Saturday that a building hit overnight in the town of Beit Lahiya was the home of a charitable association for people with disabilities.

Two of the people cared for there – both teenagers – are said to have been killed.

Three other people, including an Islamic Jihad activist, were killed when a house in Jabaliya refugee camp was hit, the Palestinian health ministry said.

Hamas said it fired four rockets at the Israeli city of Ashdod.

 Analysis: BBC Middle East correspondent Kevin Connolly

To the outside world the Gaza rockets may seem ineffective – partly because many are homemade and partly because they’re hopelessly overmatched by Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile defence system.

But Israeli civilians judge the rockets by the intent behind them and not by their military effectiveness. They are grimly familiar with the ritual of running for shelter with their children when they hear a 15-second warning. They expect their government to put a stop to it.

The problem is that there’s no easy way of doing that.

Even if you believe in the myth of the accuracy of modern weapons systems, you have to accept that air raids are going to kill innocent people.

What can Israel and Hamas gain from latest conflict?

The Palestinian health ministry says in addition to those killed, 750 people – mainly civilians – have been injured in Israel’s Operation Protective Edge since it began on Tuesday.

The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs has calculated that 77% of the people killed in Gaza so far have been civilians.

Israel said on Saturday morning that it has carried out 1,160 strikes since the start of its offensive, and says Hamas fired 689 rockets in the first four days.

The rockets have caused damage and some injuries in Israel. — BBc online

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