Israel and Palestinian militants pounded each other for a fifth day Sunday, as the fate of an elusive ceasefire to end the fighting remained unclear amid conflicting reports, DPA reported.
Sunday also proved to be the deadliest day Gaza has suffered since the Israeli offensive began on Wednesday. An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza City Sunday killed at least 11 civilians and injured 30 others, the bloodiest single incident in a five-day Israeli offensive aimed at curbing Palestinian rocket attacks.
Two or three missiles fired by Israeli F-16 warplanes reduced to rubble the house of the al-Dalu family in northern Gaza City, which residents said was filled with civilians. Several young siblings and two women were among the dead. An Israeli military spokesman in Tel Aviv was not immediately able to say why the house was targeted.
Hamas Spokesman Ghazi Hamad told Al Jazeera the the two sides have agreed on 90 per cent of the terms of a ceasefire currently being discussed in Cairo.
But other reports said Hamas has rejected the terms of a draft agreement. Hamas demands the lifting of Israel's naval blockade of Gaza and an Israeli commitment to end targeted killings of its commanders in the strip, Damascus-based leader Khaled Mashaal told officials in Cairo.
There was no official Israeli comment on the truce talks, but Israel is demanding guarantees that any truce be long term.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told reporters in Jerusalem before meeting his French counterpart Laurent Fabius - on a nine-hour visit to Israel and the Palestinian areas - that Israel "appreciates" the international truce efforts - but a complete end to the rocket attacks from Gaza was a first condition.
More than a million residents in southern Israel live their lives according to the whims of the Palestinian militants who launch the rockets and "this situation will not continue," he said.
As of 2100 GMT the number of Palestinian fatalities stood at 72, said Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesman of the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza. About half of them were civilians. More than 500 Palestinians have been wounded.
Three Israelis have also been killed. The Magen David Adom rescue service said it had treated more than 150 Israelis, a number that included patients suffering from shock.
The Israeli military said that since Operation Pillar of Defence began Wednesday, Israel has hit 1,100 targets in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian militants have launched almost 1,000 missiles, 540 of which have hit Israel. A further 287 were intercepted and shot down by the Iron Dome anti-missile defence system. Around 100 rockets have, likely though malfunction, landed inside the Gaza Strip or exploded on launch, the military said.
The Iron Dome, which Israelis are hailing as a great success, downed two missiles that targeted greater Tel Aviv Sunday. The militias have so far launched five at the Israeli metropolis, causing neither damage nor injuries. Another missile was aimed at Jerusalem on Friday, but landed in an open area near the city.
Israel says it has been able to keep its casualties to a minimum, because only a fraction of the rockets launched from Gaza since Wednesday had hit populated areas.
Israel also appeared to be changing tactics Sunday, widening the operation to include targeting militant leaders, or their homes.
As air strikes continued, there remained speculation about whether Israel would send ground forces into the salient.
Officials said the air campaign was "close to exhausting itself," so Hamas should either accept a truce, or Israel would send the ground troops into Gaza, officials said.
US President Barack Obama said in Bangkok the next 48 hours would be crucial. He continued to express strong support for Israel's "right to defend itself" against cross-border rocket attacks from Gaza. But observers said that support could weaken if the number of Palestinian civilian casualties continues to rise.
Washington was "actively working with all the parties in the region to see if we can end these missiles being fired," said Obama. "We are going to have to see what kind of progress we can make in the next in the next 24, 36, 48 hours.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle was weighing a visit to the region in the very near future, a German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said, while UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon was due in Cairo on Monday.