(VOVworld) – The Israel Defensive Force (IDF) on Tuesday launched a full-scale offensive against bases of the Hamas Islamic Movement in the Gaza strip.

Rising smoke after Israel's air-strikes in the town of Rafah, southern Gaza strip, on Monday.

An IDF spokesperson said that the attack was part of a military campaign, dubbed “Border Protection”, which aimed to end security threats facing the Israeli people everyday. Israel’s army urged the people in a 40-kilometre radius area in the southern coastal region to evacuate to safe places and ordered all the summer camps to close in case of shelling from Gaza.
Palestinian sources said that Israel’s aircraft bombed over 30 sites in the towns of Rafah and Khan Younis on Tuesday. The Palestinian Health Ministry has confirmed 9 injured. Casualties were limited because the civilians had evacuated from the towns after being warned about Israeli air-strikes.