Israeli troops and tanks on Sunday continued to battle Hamas fighters inside the Gaza Strip, on the second day of a massive ground offensive designed to prevent the Islamist group from firing rockets on nearby Israeli towns.

Israeli forces have taken up position around Gaza City, the largest population centre in the territory of 1.5 million Palestinians, as well as in northeastern frontier zones used by gunmen to launch rockets. Israel has also bisected the Gaza Strip by blocking a central highway and shelling a coastal road from the sea.