At least 24 Palestinians were killed overnight as Israel launched a ground offensive in Gaza, with the initial aim of destroying the underground tunnels into the heavily populated area.

Israel has said that the ground offensive is not designed to topple Hamas or end with the re-occupation of Gaza, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel is prepared to “significantly widen” the scope of the operation if Hamas does not accept a ceasefire.

In addition to those already in service, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) has mobilised a further 18,000 reservists, bringing the total on standby to 60,000.

Israel suffered its first casualty of the 11-day conflict and the Palestinian death toll exceeded 270 as Israeli forces bombarded 100 targets across Gaza.

An estimated three quarters of the Palestinian casualties have been civilians, with an Israeli shell killing a father and two children last night when an artillery shell landed on the house where they were sheltering.