A wave of Israeli strikes overnight has killed at least 78 people in the Gaza Strip, the government said. An AFP correspondent said the southern city of Khan Younis was hit hard.

Meanwhile, early morning today, a barrage of 50 rockets was fired at southern Israel, near Netivot, without causing any casualties, the Israeli army said.

AFPTV live footage showed trails of smoke and explosions ring out as Israel’s air defences intercepted rockets near the Gaza border.

The United Nations says the conflict has displaced roughly 85 per cent of Gaza’s 2.4 million population, many of whom have been forced to crowd into shelters and struggle to get food, water, fuel and medical care.

As temperatures plunge, families living in makeshift tents in Rafah have resorted to burning plastic to ward off the chill, despite the noxious fumes.

“At night, I feel like we’re going to die from the cold,” said Haneen Adwan, 31, a mother of six who was forced to flee from central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp.