And hundreds of Israelis living in communities near the border with Gaza were fleeing their homes following a mortar attack over the weekend.
Israel’s air-raid sirens and rocket-defence system are ill-equipped to deal with mortar fire, which is fired from short range.
Livnat Ginzbourg, a spokeswoman for Israeli communities along the Gaza border, said around 100 families were leaving their homes yesterday, following a similar number the previous day.
She estimated that 70 to 80 per cent of residents in communities closest to the Gaza border have fled, mostly families with young children.
The Israeli Defence Ministry said it was helping Israelis to leave homes close to the war zone in the government’s first large-scale voluntary evacuation.
Meanwhile, at least seven Palestinians were reportedly killed in new airstrikes and at least 60 rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said there were new efforts underway to reach an extended ceasefire agreement, but neither side seemed to be easing its attacks.
The Israeli military said it carried out at least 16 airstrikes on Gaza early yesterday, targeting a mosque it said was used to store weapons and another it claimed that militants used as a meeting point.
Elsewhere, aides to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that he would soon appeal to the international community to set a deadline for Israel to end its occupation of lands captured in the 1967 war and make way for an independent Palestinian state.
One aide said that Mr Abbas has grown disillusioned after two decades of failed efforts to reach a negotiated peace settlement with Israel.
He said the Palestinians wanted a “fixed date” for an Israeli withdrawal from lands claimed by the Palestinians and a timetable for establishing a Palestinian state.
President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to unveil his proposal at a meeting of the Palestinian leadership today.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened that the seven-week-old military campaign in Gaza would stretch into September.
foreigneditor@peoples-press.com