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Jerusalem - Israeli aircraft struck 30 houses in the Gaza Strip early on Friday, killing a leader of the militant Islamic Jihad group and two of his sons, while ground troops and Hamas gunmen fought intense battles in the north and centre of the territory, Palestinian officials said.
The Israeli military confirmed dozens of sites were hit, including what it said were Hamas command posts, but did not elaborate.
With the current round of fighting entering its 18th day, Israel's Security Cabinet was to meet later on Friday to decide whether to expand its operation or consider ideas for a cease-fire.
One plan calls for a five-day humanitarian truce during which Israel and Hamas would negotiate new border arrangements for blockaded Gaza, said Hana Amireh, a senior Palestine Liberation Organisation official in the West Bank, who is involved in cease-fire efforts.
Hamas has said it will not halt fire without international guarantees that Egypt and Israel will open Gaza's border crossings and end their seven-year-old border blockade. Israel and Egypt are reluctant to ease the blockade, fearing this will enable Hamas to tighten its grip on Gaza.
Israeli media reported that the military also wants more time to continue destroying rocket sites and tunnels from Gaza into Israel that Hamas has used to launch attacks. The military has found 31 tunnels but only destroyed about one-third of them so far.
In Jerusalem, meanwhile, thousands of Israeli security forces were deployed for possible Palestinian protests after Friday prayers at a key Muslim holy site, said police spokesperson Luba Samri.
Fighting escalating
The night before, thousands of Palestinians protesting the Gaza fighting clashed with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank. One Palestinian was killed and dozens were wounded, according to Palestinian medical officials.
In Gaza, the death toll soared to 808, after 115 Palestinians were killed on Thursday in one of the deadliest days of fighting, said Ashraf Kidra, a Palestinian health official. Thirty-four Israelis, among them 32 soldiers, and a Thai worker have been killed since 8 July.
Early Friday, Israeli war planes struck 30 houses throughout the Gaza Strip, including the home of Salah Hassanein, a leader of the military wing of Islamic Jihad, the second-largest militant group in Gaza after Hamas.
Hassanein and two of his sons were killed in the strike, said Gaza police spokesperson Ayman Batniji and al-Kidra.
Over the past two weeks, Israeli aircraft have repeatedly hit homes of Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders. Most had gone into hiding, but the strikes killed a leader of an Islamic Jihad rocket squad, a Hamas commander and a son of senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Haya, according to the Israeli military.
Such strikes have also claimed the lives of a large number of civilians. A Gaza human rights group said earlier this week that close to 500 homes have been damaged or destroyed in direct hits from the air, and that more than 320 people have been killed in their homes as a result of military strikes.
