Israeli airstrikes killed at least 38 Palestinians in Gaza, hospital officials told the Associated Press on Sunday, as Israel's military said it has struck over 100 targets in the embattled enclave in the past day.

But it added: "In light of an assessment of the situation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed that the invitation to proximity talks be accepted and that the contacts for the return of our hostages - on the basis of the Qatari proposal that Israel has agreed to - be continued. The negotiating team will leave tomorrow."