AT least nine Palestinians, including a pregnant woman and her 14-month-old niece, have been killed in the ongoing violence at the Gaza Strip.

The recent flare-up has turned into one of the bloodiest rounds of fighting since the 2014 war, with three people in southern Israel also killed.

Israeli forces struck dozens of targets throughout Gaza, including militant sites that the military said were concealed in homes or residential areas.

The army also moved armoured units towards Gaza as the sides headed closer to all-out war.

Israel and Hamas are bitter enemies that have fought three wars since the Islamic militant group seized control of Gaza in 2007, as well as numerous smaller flare-ups, most recently in late March.

The National:

As with previous rounds of fighting, the latest violence began late last week amid Palestinian accusations that Israel was not moving quickly enough to ease the blockade.

The Israeli military said militants had fired more than 600 rockets into Israel, and that Israeli forces had launched some 260 air strikes against militant targets in Gaza.

Palestinian health officials reported nine dead, including six militants. The other dead included a pregnant woman and her niece, who were killed in what the officials said was an Israeli air strike.

The Israeli military denied involvement, saying the woman and baby were killed by a misfired Palestinian rocket.

Palestinian officials identified one of the militants as Hamas commander Hamed al-Khoudary, who Israel said was a key player in transferring Iranian money to the militant group.