Gaza

Israel's military said it had struck more than 600 militant targets over the past few days as it expanded ground operations in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinian civilians are in dire need of fuel, food and clean water as the war enters its fourth week.

Islamist militants said they had repelled an attempted thrust from Israeli tanks into Gaza City from the east and were fighting them on the border with Israel.

UNICEF's Middle East and North African spokesperson Saleem Oweis said the delivery of aid was much needed inside Gaza with no water, food and services. He said it was already shaping as a humanitarian catastrophe.

Israel has been carrying out attacks on Gaza in response to deadly raids that killed hundreds of people earlier this month.

A deadly blast at a Gaza hospital earlier this week has killed up to 500 people but no death toll has been confirmed.

Both the Israel government and Palestinian officials have blamed each other.

Explosions were heard in Gaza City in the early hours of Wednesday.

Several balloons were sent from Gaza into Israel earlier on Tuesday causing multiple fires, according to the Israeli fire service.

It is the first major flare-up since 11 days of fighting between the two sides ended in a ceasefire on 21 May.

It followed a march by Jewish nationalists in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday, which had drawn threats from Hamas, the militant group that runs Gaza.

An Egyptian team was in Israel on Saturday, while the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken could visit the region next week.

Both Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have claimed victory in the latest conflict.

More than 250 people were killed, most of them in Gaza.

The fighting began on 10 May after weeks of rising tension that culminated in clashes at al-Aqsa, a holy site revered by both Muslims and Jews, in occupied East Jerusalem. Hamas began firing rockets after warning Israel to withdraw from the site, triggering retaliatory air strikes.

Sources familiar with truce talks have told the BBC that Israel has informed Egyptian mediators it will agree to end military action.

There has been no official confirmation of this from Israel where PM Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting his security cabinet.

Both sides are facing international pressure to end hostilities.

The Israeli security cabinet will vote on a proposed unilateral ceasefire that would take effect within 24 hours, Israel's public broadcaster Kan reported.

Biden wanted a "path to ceasefire", the White House said.

The US is a staunch ally of Israel and has so far opposed a joint UN Security Council statement on the conflict.

In response Netanyahu said he was "determined to carry on" until "calm and security are restored to Israeli citizens", according to Israeli media.

The conflict is in its 10th day, with a continuing exchange of rocket fire from Palestinian militants into Israel and Israeli air strikes on Gaza.

Deaths continue to mount, with at least 83 people now killed in Gaza and seven in Israel.

A BBC reporter in Gaza said it had been the "longest and most difficult night since the 2014 war". Israel said it had been targeted with 1,600 rockets.

Israel is now mulling a possible ground operation in Gaza.

It has sent reinforcements to the border.

Palestinian medics said eight members of one family died in the strike, among them five children.

Israel said the attack targeted the home of Rasmi Abu Malhous, who it called a militant commander from the group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

It said no civilians were expected to be in harm's way.

The attack in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, was the deadliest episode in a two-day exchange of fire between Israel and the Palestinian group.

It took place on Thursday, shortly before a ceasefire came into effect.

One air strike targeted a national security base east of the Jabalia refugee camp in the north of the strip, moderately injuring one Palestinian, medical sources said on Saturday.

Another air strike hit a base east of Gaza city in the Zeitoun neighbourhood while a third hit an empty field in the north of the Gaza Strip in Beit Hanoun.

Earlier on Friday, a rocket fired from the strip struck a parked bus in the town of Sderot without causing casualties, Israeli police said.