UPDATE — 3:55 a.m. ET: The Gaza Strip's only power plant was hit overnight by Israeli shells, knocking it offline:
#BREAKING The only power plant supplying electricity to the Gaza Strip has been knocked out of commission by Israeli shelling
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) July 29, 2014
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Story by the Associated Press; curated by Oliver Darcy.
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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli aircraft, tanks and navy gunboats pounded symbols of Hamas control in Gaza City in the heaviest night of bombardment in three weeks of Israel-Hamas fighting.
The strikes early Tuesday hit the home of the top Hamas leader in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, as well as government offices and the headquarters of the Hamas satellite TV station.
Israeli forces fired hundreds of flares that turned the night sky bright orange. By daybreak Tuesday, a cloud of thick dust from the explosions hung over Gaza City.
Israeli forces' flares light up the night sky of Gaza City on early Tuesday, July 29, 2014. A truce between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza remained elusive as diplomats sought to end the fighting at the start of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
The escalation came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of a "prolonged" campaign in Gaza.
A Palestinian health official put the overall Gaza death toll at 1,110. Israel has lost 53 soldiers, along with two civilians and a Thai national.
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