By Mohamad Majeed

GAZA (AA): A total of 500 civilian houses in the Gaza Strip were damaged by the latest Israeli airstrikes, Palestine’s public works minister said late Tuesday.

“In Israeli airstrikes against Gaza, 30 civilian houses were completely destroyed and 500 houses were damaged,” Mufeed al-Hasayneh said in a statement. Many civilians have been injured.

He added that they are working to remove the traces of the airstrikes and alleviate the pain of their people.

The Israeli Air Forces carried out, at dawn Tuesday, several airstrikes for the second consecutive night, targeting many areas in the besieged and improvised Gaza Strip, after hours of relative calm in and around the coastal region

Israel launched a wave of airstrikes Monday across the Gaza Strip following rocket fire from the enclave which injured seven Israelis north of Tel Aviv.

The army reportedly deployed missile-defense batteries in several locations across the country while sending two additional infantry brigades to the Gaza-Israel buffer zone.

Hamas announced late Monday that Egypt had managed to secure a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza-based resistance factions.

While there was no comment from Egypt, several Israeli officials denied that a cease-fire deal had been reached.

[Photo: Children collect books including holy Qur’ans as people inspect damaged Omer Bin Abdul Aziz Mosque after a fire due to Israeli bombardment in Beit Hanoun, Gaza on March 26, 2019. Photographer: Ashraf Amra/AA]