Israel pounds Gaza on Eid's first day

The Israeli artillery on Monday pounded several areas in eastern Gaza Strip as Palestinians celebrate the first day of Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Eyewitnesses told that Israeli troops fired several shells at the eastern parts of Gaza City and Khan Younis as well as Jabalia and Beit Hanoun in the north.

The shelling, however, left no casualties, medical sources confirmed.

On Sunday, Hamas said that Palestinian resistance factions had accepted a U.N. request for a 24-hour humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip, starting 11am GMT on Sunday.

The Israeli government is yet to response. However, an Israeli military source told that Israel would trade calm for calm on the Gazan front, but it would respond in kind if Gaza-based groups fired rocket at Israeli territory.

Israel has been pounding the Gaza Strip - which has been reeling under a crippling Israeli blockade since 2006 - from air, ground and sea since July 7, leaving 1035 dead and 6233 injured and destroying hundreds of homes.

Israel claims that the military offensive aims at undermining the ability of Gaza's resistance movements to launch rocket attacks.

The Israeli offensive - codenamed "Protective Edge" - is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive against the densely populated Gaza Strip - home to 1.8 million Palestinians - within the last six years.

Israel claims that the military offensive aims at undermining the ability of Gaza's resistance movements to launch rocket attacks.