IAF strikes in Gaza; 1 killed

A senior Hamas member was killed and 8 people were wounded, several in serious condition, when the Israeli Air Force attacked several Hamas-linked targets in the Gaza Strip overnight Friday, Israel Radio reported Saturday morning. Senior rocket maker and commander of the Hamas military wing in central Gaza, Issa Batran, 40, was killed in the strike, Israel Radio reported Saturday.According to Palestinian sources, air force aircraft targeted the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood and Ansar security compound in western Gaza City, which served as a training site for Hamas commanders and was used as headquarters for high-rank Palestinian Authority officials in the past, such as Yasser Arafat. Other targets included sites in Dir al-Balah and Rafiah.

The IDF Spokesperson reported that the IAF hit three targets: a Hamas-linked terror activity site in the northern part of the Strip, a weapons-manufacturing warehouse in central Gaza and a weapons-smuggling tunnel in the south. The IDF confirmed the attacks were in retaliation for Friday morning's Grad missile attack in Ashkelon, for which the Aza Din al-Kassem Gazan terror group claimed responsibility on Friday. link...

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UN says deadly floods affect 1 million Pakistanis

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Rescuers trying to reach thousands of Pakistani flood victims were hampered by deluged roads and damaged bridges Saturday, though there were signs that waters were receding in parts of the country.
Floods killed more than 430 people in one week, left some 400,000 people stranded in far-flung villages and severely damaged the nation's already-weak infrastructure. The U.N. estimated Saturday that some 1 million people were affected, though it didn't specify exactly what that meant.
In the northwest, the hardest-hit region, it was the worst flooding since 1929. People clung to fences and each other as water gushed over their heads, TV footage showed. Scores of men, women and children sat on roofs.
"There are very bad conditions," said Amjad Ali, a rescue worker in the Nowshera area. "They have no water, no food."
Rescuers were using army helicopters, heavy trucks and boats to try reaching flood-hit areas, the U.N. said. It reported that thousands of homes and roads were destroyed, and at least 45 bridges across the northwest were damaged.
The destruction is slowing the rescue effort, said Luther Rehman, a government official in Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa, the northwest province. Floodwaters were receding in some areas in the northwest, he said.
"Our priority is to transport flood-affected people to safer places. We are carrying out this rescue operation despite limited resources," he said, adding they needed more helicopters and boats.
The flooding capped an already deadly week in Pakistan. A passenger jet slammed into hills overlooking Islamabad killing all 152 people on board Wednesday, and bad weather is suspected to have played a role. link...

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