The Israeli regime has carried out an airstrike on the city of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. Palestinian witnesses said the strike, which was conducted during the early hours of Monday, left no casualties. The Israeli army claimed in a statement that the attack targeted a group of Palestinians “preparing to fire rockets against southern Israel." On June 17, Israeli tanks and bulldozers carried out an incursion into Deir al-Balah, located about 14 kilometers (8.5 miles) south of Gaza City, injuring a Palestinian during the attack. The Tel Aviv regime conducts airstrikes and ground attacks against the Gaza Strip on an almost regular basis. Over a dozen Palestinians were killed in airstrikes carried out by the Israeli regime on the besieged Palestinian territory during the six-day period of June 18-23. In addition to airstrikes and ground attacks, the Tel Aviv regime also denies about 1.7 million people in Gaza their basic rights, including the freedom of movement and the right to decent living, work, health and education. On June 13, US President Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Israeli President Shimon Peres, the man who has overseen the killing of Palestinian women and children by Israeli forces in the occupied territories for decades, according to Press TV. Obama awarded the 88-year-old criminal the highest civilian honor in the United States during a dinner ceremony in the White House.
