Conflict escalates as 26 Palestinians, including children, killed in Gaza

An Israeli firefighter walks next to cars hit by a missile fired from the Gaza Strip in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon (Ariel Schalit/AP)

Israel has unleashed new air strikes on Gaza, hitting two high-rise buildings believed to be housing militants, as Hamas and other armed groups bombarded southern Israel with hundreds of rockets.

The conflict escalated relentlessly throughout the day, and Israel vowed that its strikes would only increase.