Dozens of residential buildings, factories, mosques and shops were hit, the head of the government's media office, Salama Marouf, told AFP.

The Israeli military confirmed it had hit several Hamas targets during the night.

It said fighter jets destroyed "advanced detection systems" that Hamas used to spot military aircraft.

They also hit 80 Hamas targets in the Beit Hanoun area of the northeastern Gaza Strip, including two bank branches used by the Islamist group to "fund terrorism" in the enclave, the military said.

Air strikes also hit a weapons storage facility, and an operational command centre used by the Islamic Jihad militant group, it added.