Palestinian officials said Israel has struck a number of homes in the central Gaza Strip, killing at least four people, including a child. The Civil Defense first responders say more people are trapped under the rubble and the toll is likely to rise after the strikes early Tuesday.

Another strike late Monday in Gaza City killed a man, his wife and child, according to the Civil Defense.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will address Gaza ceasefire efforts with Egyptian officials this week, the State Department said Monday, as he visits the key U.S. ally which has played an important role in truce talks.

Blinken "will meet with Egyptian officials to discuss ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza that secures the release of all hostages, alleviates the suffering of the Palestinian people, and helps establish broader regional security," spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar said on Monday the Palestinian group was prepared for prolonged fighting against Israel, in a message to Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels nearly a year into the Gaza war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday warned Yemen's Houthi rebels of retaliation after the group claimed a missile attack on central Israel.

Palestinian officials say Israeli airstrikes have killed 16 people in the Gaza Strip, including five women and four children.

Thousands of people again took to the streets of Israel's main cities on Saturday in a bid to increase pressure on the government to secure the release of hostages in Gaza.

Of 251 captives seized during Hamas' October 7 attack on southern Israel that triggered the ongoing war, 97 are still held in the Gaza Strip including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.

The Israeli military said a missile fired from Yemen crossed into central Israel on Sunday, causing no injuries but again adding to regional tensions nearly a year into the Gaza war.

After the incident, AFP photographers saw firefighters putting out a brush fire near Lod, and saw broken glass at a train station in Modin. Both areas are southeast of Tel Aviv, Israel's commercial hub.

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said one of its employees was killed during an Israeli operation in the occupied West Bank, where raids have escalated since last month.

The U.S. embassy in Iraq on Friday blamed Iran-linked groups for an attack this week on a U.S. diplomatic compound at Baghdad airport, warning it retained the right to self-defense.

Four people were killed and eight injured when a vehicle exploded in the central Israeli city of Ramla on Thursday in an apparent gangland hit, medics and police said.