Drone strike hits Eilat airport in Israel
A drone launched from Yemen has hit the arrivals hall at Israel's Eilat airport, the country's southernmost city. It is not yet clear how the device bypassed Israel's Iron Dome air defence system, which is one of the world's most advanced.
No casualties were reported, but footage shared by panicked witnesses showed the aftermath. The Israeli military, meanwhile, is continuing its bombardment of the Gaza Strip in an attempt to permanently eliminate the militant group Hamas.
Air raid sirens did not sound before the drone struck the airport grounds, a city on the border with Jordan and Egypt. The incident follows a statement from the Israeli military that it had intercepted three other drones launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The government in Tel Aviv is facing pressure, both domestically and internationally, to spare the lives of civilians in the Gaza Strip. However, the bombing of the region continues. A school-turned-refugee shelter was completely destroyed. Previously, two high-rise apartment buildings were hit.
"We were sleeping as usual, when we suddenly heard a loud explosion. I opened my eyes and saw dust covering my vision," Adham al-Zarad, one of the witnesses, said. "I couldn't see anything in front of me. We're looking for clothes for the children, who were taken to hospital with nothing to wear."
"Israel plans to destroy the high-rise buildings in Gaza... They told us it was safe here, but there is no safety. They've given us a map to go south, but we were already in the south," another man said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, insists civilians can move to areas where there is no fighting. He specified that the Israeli military's target is members of the Hamas militant group.
"We're eliminating terrorist infrastructure... We've established a new humanitarian zone to allow Gaza's civilian population to move to safe places and receive humanitarian assistance. In the meantime, about 100,000 people have left Gaza," Netanyahu said.
Denmark has also expressed its support for civilians in Gaza. During a joint press conference held on Sunday with the Israeli Foreign Minister, the Danish Foreign Minister called on Israel to halt the offensive and allow humanitarian access into the enclave. Egypt has delivered 200,000 food packages to civilians facing a profound humanitarian crisis.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
