Updated 8.30am

A temporary truce between Israel and Hamas expired on Friday, with the Israeli army saying combat operations had resumed and an AFP journalist witnessing air and artillery strikes on Gaza City.

"Hamas violated the operational pause, and in addition, fired toward Israeli territory," the army said in a statement, adding it had "resumed combat against the Hamas terrorist organisation in the Gaza Strip".

Meanwhile, health ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra told AFP that at least six Palestinians were killed Friday morning in an Israeli air raid on Rafah city in the south of Gaza.

Elsewhere, two children were killed in air raids on Gaza City, said Fadel Naim, a doctor with Al-Ahli hospital, as fighting resumed shortly after the expiration of a seven-day truce. 

Talks ongoing: source

On Friday morning, a source briefed on the talks told AFP said talks between Israel and Hamas aimed at renewing a Gaza truce by mediators Qatar and Egypt were continuing despite the renewed fighting.

"Negotiations are still ongoing with Qatari and Egyptian mediators despite the resumption of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza," the source said asking to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the talks.

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