HAMAS: ISRAEL

                                             Hamas: Israel's

 The armed wing of Hamas has threatened an imminent attack on Israel's main airport in response to Israeli airstrikes on Gaza that have now reportedly killed 100 Palestinians.

The Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades warned they planned to fire rockets at Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion international airport through the course of the day.

It urged airlines to divert their flights for the safety of their passengers.

Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 100 people, most of them civilians

"In the light of Israel's ... attacks on the residents of Gaza Strip ... The armed wing of Hamas movement has decided to respond to the Israeli aggression and we warn you against carrying out flights to Ben Gurion airport, which will be one of our targets today because it also hosts a military air base," it said.

A spokesman for Israel's Airports Authority said activity at Ben Gurion was briefly halted after an air raid siren sounded, but operations has since resumed.

The Israeli army launched an offensive targeting Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. 

A rocket from Gaza hit a petrol station in Israel early Friday

Hamas health ministry spokesman Ashraf al Qudra was quoted by AFP as saying 100 Palestinians had been killed since then after two men were killed in the Bureij area.

Hours earlier, the military bombarded the city of Rafah, killing six people. Five of them, including a seven-year-old child, died in a strike on the home of an alleged Islamist militant.

According to Palestinian officials most of the victims over the past four days have been civilians, many of them children.

The Israeli military says the offensive, named Operation Protective Edge, comes in the wake of persistent rocket fire from Gaza into Israel. 

It says more than 550 rockets have been fired into Israel since Tuesday alone, but there have so far been no Israeli fatalities.

Many rockets, including three spotted over Tel Aviv on Friday, have been intercepted by Israel's partly US-funded Iron Dome missile defence system.

Five Palestinians were killed overnight in a strike on a home in Rafah

However, one struck a petrol station in the Israeli city of Ashdod in the early hours of the morning, triggering a major blaze.

The Israeli fire service said several people were injured in the attack, one of them seriously.

One witness told Sky News' Alex Rossi he was filling up his car when air raid sirens went off. 

"We heard a huge explosion and after (that) a big ball of fire and (there were) a lot of people injured," he said. "We are lucky to be alive."

Soldiers inspect a shell thought to have been launched from Lebanon

For the first time at least one rocket was also reportedly launched from southern Lebanon which, according to Israeli army spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, struck Israel's northern border, prompting the military to respond with artillery fire.

It is not yet known who was responsible for the attack, although fire from Lebanon has previously been blamed on radical Palestinian factions. 

Southern Lebanon is also a stronghold of the Shia militant group Hezbollah which has battled Israel on numerous occasions.

Rocket fire from Gaza aimed at Israel has increased in recent days

With no end to the violence in sight, US President Barack Obama has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington would be willing to help negotiate a truce.

Mr Obama said he was concerned the fighting could escalate and "called for all sides to do everything they can to protect the lives of civilians", the White House said.

"The United States remains prepared to facilitate a cessation of hostilities, including a return to the November 2012 ceasefire agreement."

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