100 Palestinians killed in a single day

At least 100 Palestinians were killed in Israeli bombardment on Tuesday, Gaza officials have said, hours after shells hit the enclave’s only power station. A thick column of black smoke was seen rising from the power station today, mingling with other plumes sent into the air by Israeli shelling. Gaza officials were saying the death toll from the invasion had now reached 1,178, with at least 100 killed since midnight on Monday. More than 6,800 Gazans had been injured. The AFP news agency reported that one air raid alone in northern Gaza had killed 10 people today. Bombs hit the power station’s generator. Jamal Dardasawi, a spokesman for the electricity distribution company, warned that Gaza would be engulfed in ‘a humanitarian crisis within hours’ if no immediate action was taken to secure power supplies. ‘This will affect hospitals and water. All aspects of life are endangered,’ he warned. Rafiq Maliha, the director of the power station, said two turbines were directly hit, adding that the plant would not be operational for up to a year. At full capacity, the station provided Gaza with 80mw electricity but had been generating only 50-60mw before it was bombed. The lines to outside power sources provided an additional 120mw of electricity, Dardawasi said. Said al-Soudi, head of Gaza's civil defence ministry, said technical crews had succeeded in taming the fire at the station. He said that he received an emergency call about the shelling at 5.30am, but only reached the facility three hours later, after securing safe passage to the site through the Red Cross. ‘Despite the coordination, shells were still landing,’ he said, according to a news agency.