Eight Palestinians, including a 10-year-old boy, have been killed by Israeli forces near Rafah in southern Gaza.
The Israeli military said five of those killed were Palestinian militants. A further 26 people were wounded in the attacks.
The strikes near Rafah were part of Israel's continuing offensive in Gaza which was launched after Palestinian militants killed two Israeli soldiers and seized a third in a cross-border raid.
At least 161 Palestinians have been killed in efforts to recover the soldier and end cross-border rocket fire.
The number of rockets fired by Palestinians from the strip has decreased significantly, but not halted completely.
On Wednesday, one Israeli civilian was wounded when a rocket fired from Gaza hit Ashkelon, a city of 120,000 residents around 8km north of the border.
Most rockets fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza have landed in Sderot, a town that lies a few kilometres east of the territory.
