Dozens killed in Gaza as Hamas official vows to 'break' Israel

Israeli forces fought Hamas in the north and centre of the Gaza Strip on Friday as Khaled Meshaal, a senior official in the Gaza movement, said its six-month-old battle with Israel would "break the enemy soon".

Most Israeli troops have been pulled out of Gaza in preparation for an assault on the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians are sheltering, but fighting has continued in various areas.

Residents of Al-Nusseirat camp in central Gaza said dozens were dead or wounded after Israeli bombardment from air, land and sea that had followed a surprise ground offensive on Thursday, and that houses and two mosques had been destroyed.

Health officials said earlier that six people had been killed in strikes on the camp, and around 70 wounded, including three Palestinian journalists.

In Gaza City, Palestinian health officials said at least 25 people had been killed and several wounded in an Israeli air strike on a house in Al-Daraj neighbourhood. Gaza's health ministry said 89 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli military strikes in the space of 24 hours.

The Israel military (IDF) said it was pursuing "a precise intelligence-based operation" and their infrastructure in central Gaza.

At least 33,545 Palestinians have now been killed since the Israeli offensive began, Gaza's health ministry said, with most of the 2.3 million population displaced and much of the enclave laid to waste.