Half of Gaza fatalities women, children: Ministry

According to the Palestinian health ministry's latest estimates twenty-three children and 12 women were among 75 Palestinians killed in Gaza since the beginning of a large-scale Israeli operation in the Strip late Monday.

Earlier on Thursday, three Palestinians were killed and four other seriously injured when Israeli aircraft targeted a vehicle in eastern Gaza City, according to medical sources.

Palestinian Health Ministry Spokesman Ashraf al-Qodra said in an earlier statement on Thursday, the new fatalities bring to 75 the total number of Palestinians killed by Israel since Monday

According to Palestinian security sources, Israeli warplanes conducted more than 770 strikes against Gaza targets during the same period.

Palestinian factions, for their part, fired nearly 320 rockets into Israeli cities and towns since Wednesday, added the sources.

Israel launched a military offensive – dubbed "Operation Protective Edge" – with the stated aim of staunching rocket fire from Gaza.

It continued to pound the territory with airstrikes, while ground troops remain massed on the Gaza Strip's borders in advance of a possible ground assault.

Gaza-based resistance factions, meanwhile, have continued to fire rockets into Israel in response to the unrelenting airstrikes.