A brief lull in fighting in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday gave residents time to search for the dead and wounded among the rubble.

The town has witnessed an increase in Israeli air strikes as well as heavy tank and artillery shelling over the past few days.

Adding to the misery of life in Gaza, food and water remain in short supply.

One Rafah resident, Akram Shaqfa, said: “I ran for cover in a school. We don’t have bread so I’ve come here to buy some. The electricity is out, so we can’t bake it at home. Our children are hungry and they have nothing else.”

Around a quarter of the Gaza Strip’s 1.8 million residents have been displaced because of the fighting, according to the United Nations.

Around 1,700 people have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge in July. At least 65 Israelis have also been killed.

Meanwhile, Israel reported further rockets being launched into its territory from Gaza on Saturday with several being intercepted by its Iron Dome interceptor.