A group of demonstrators, including women and children, protested against Israel’s ground operation in front of the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul's Levent district early Friday morning.
The Israeli army launched a ground operation into the Gaza Strip Thursday evening, following ten days of relentless airstrikes on the Palestinian territory, and according to Palestinian Health Ministry official, resulting in the deaths of 247 Palestinians and the injuries of 1,867 people.
The protestors, who held Turkish and Palestinian flags, shouted out slogans against Israel.
Some protestors entered the garden of the plaza, where the consulate is located, and broke the windows with sticks and stones.
Despite the police's intervention with water cannon and tear gas during the protests, protestors are keeping up their demonstration.
Israeli military planes have been pounding the Gaza Strip since July 7 with the stated aim of halting rocket fire from the Palestinian territory.
Gaza-based resistance factions, for their part, have continued to fire rockets at Israel – some of which have reached Tel Aviv – in response to the deadly airstrikes.
Israel's military operation, dubbed "Operation Protective Edge," is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive against the embattled Gaza Strip – home to some 1.8 million Palestinians – in the last six years.
www.aa.com.tr/en
