Israel pounds Gaza tunnel

IRAN: An Israeli warplane has once again pounded the southern Gaza Strip, targeting the tunnel network used to transfer vital goods from Egypt to the blockaded territory.

The F-16 jet flew over the city of Rafah Wednesday and fired a missile at a Palestinian tunnel, witnesses told Xinhua news agency.

The attack caused a huge explosion which destroyed the tunnel, but there were no immediate reports on the possible injuries.

Israeli warplanes frequently target underground tunnels connecting Gaza to Egypt, accusing Palestinian resistance fighters of using the cross-border tunnels for storing and smuggling weapons.

But the Palestinians dismiss the allegations, arguing they have resorted to the tubes to deliver their basic needs to the impoverished coastal enclave which has been sealed by an Israeli blockade for over four years.

The siege has pushed nearly 1.5 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip on the verge of a humanitarian crisis.

At the turn of 2009, Israel launched a huge military offensive against the Gaza Strip, killing more than 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians. Presstv