Israel allows Palestinians to flee Gaza fighting

EREZ CROSSING, Israel – Israeli officials say they are allowing dozens of Palestinian holders of foreign passports to flee the fighting in the Gaza Strip.

Army spokesman Peter Lerner says nearly 300 Palestinians are pouring through the Israeli-controlled Erez crossing Friday morning.

He says the Palestinians hold citizenship from a number of other countries, including the U.S., Russia, Turkey and Kazakhstan.

For nearly a week, Israel has been bombing targets linked to the ruling Hamas militant group in Gaza. More than 400 Palestinians have been killed, and dozens of buildings have been damaged or destroyed.