Israel’s military has expanded ground operations across Gaza, after it claimed intercepting missiles from Yemen and Hamas said they fired rockets towards Tel Aviv, AFP reports.

The rocket fire from Hamas was its first military response to the growing civilian death toll from Israel’s resumption of aerial bombardment and ground operations in Gaza this week.

The military said troops had begun “conducting ground activity” in the Shabura area of Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city near the Egyptian border.

“As part of the activity, the troops dismantled … terrorist infrastructure,” the military claimed in a statement, adding that “troops are continuing ground activity in northern and central Gaza”.

Meanwhile, Israel struck Rafah and Khan Younis in the south of the besieged enclave and Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighbourhood, Al Jazeera reported, quoting local media.