At least nine Palestinians have been killed in a fresh attack by the Israeli army in the central section of the Gaza Strip, according to media reports from Thursday.
The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that the artillery strike in the Nuseirat refugee district also resulted in several injuries.
An Israeli army spokesman said the military is examining the reports.
A prominent tower was also destroyed in Nuseirat, according to local residents.
The Gaza health authority, controlled by the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement, stated that since the war began almost 14 months ago, more than 44,200 people in the Gaza Strip have been killed and nearly 105,000 injured. The figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday evening that the army had so far “killed almost 20,000 terrorists” in the Gaza Strip.
The information from both sides cannot be independently verified.