Israel on Sunday continued intensive air strikes on the besieged Gaza Strip for the second successive day, killing 285 Palestinians so far in a powerful offensive aimed to halt nearly daily cross-border rocket attacks.

　　"The death toll so far is 285 and is subject to increase," said Mu'awia Hassanien, director of emergencies at the health ministry, adding that 900 have been wounded, 180 of them seriously.

　　The latest Israeli strike hit the main security compound which houses the central prison, killing at least three prisoners and one of their guards.

　　Following the strike, the prisoners managed to flee the detention facility, though some Hamas militants tried to intercept them.

　　Israel launched the air strikes on the Gaza Strip before noon on Saturday, destroying more than 40 Hamas-linked security installations, including police stations, in a period of two minutes.

　　Israeli leaders said the offensive was in revenge for almost daily cross-border rocket and mortar fire from the Gaza Strip which intensified after a six-month truce between Gaza ruler Hamas and Israel expired a week ago.

　　Most of the fatalities were reported in the first air attacks in which F-16 fighter jets, Apache helicopters and drones were involved. The strikes continued throughout the night but less intensively.

　　Al-Aqsa satellite channel, run by Hamas, was among the targets that the fighter jets attacked after midnight and its four-story building were completely destroyed. Minutes later, the channel resumed broadcast from unknown studios prepared in advance as an alternative.