Gaza: Four Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes as truce efforts falter

Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip killed four people, including a 10-year-old girl, on Thursday, as Israel and Palestinian armed groups traded heavy fire overnight.

At least 25 Palestinians have been killed over two days, including five children and five women, with Israel saying that it is targeting military sites in the besieged enclave.

A Palestinian Islamic Jihad military leader was killed in the pre-dawn strikes, making him the fourth commander to have been killed since Israel started its campaign dubbed "Operation Shield and Arrow" on Tuesday.

"Ali Ghali... commander of the rocket launch unit... was assassinated in the south of the Gaza Strip along with other martyrs," said al-Quds Brigades, Islamic Jihad's armed wing.

Fighting escalated on Wednesday, with Israeli air strikes pounding Gaza and Palestinian rockets fired at southern and central Israel. Egypt announced in the evening that it had brokered a ceasefire, however intense fighting continued in the early hours of Thursday.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday evening that over 400 rockets had been launched from Gaza, adding that most had been intercepted or fell in open areas. The Islamic Jihad, meanwhile, said Palestinian resistance was keeping up its fire.

On Tuesday, Israel hit several locations across Gaza, including in Rafah, Khan Younis, Beit Lahia, and other areas, killing at least 15 Palestinians, including four children.

A hospital in southern Israel said on Thursday that 25 Israelis have been wounded, including people who received treatment for anxiety, since the start of the Israeli campaign.