Gaza: The death toll in Gaza hit 258 early on Friday as Israel pressed a ground offensive on the 11th day of a massive operation to stamp out militant rocket fire.
The latest deaths were of four family members in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, with another two killed in the northern town Beit Hanoun, emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said, raising Friday's death toll to 17.
Earlier, three men were killed by tank fire east of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza and another was killed in Shejaiyeh, east of Gaza city, Qudra said.
He added that five people were killed by Israeli fire in several separate incidents in the southern city of Rafah, including a five-month-old baby.
In northern Gaza, two men were killed in tank shelling in Beit Hanun, he said.
According to figures provided by the Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, more than 80 per cent of the victims were civilians.
At least 1,920 Palestinians have also been wounded.
Since the Israeli operation began before dawn on July 8, at least 1,150 rockets fired from Gaza have struck Israel, and another 311 have been shot down by the Iron Dome air defence system, army figures show.
On the Israeli side, one civilian was killed by rocket fire earlier this week, and another four have been seriously injured.
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