Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday slammed a series of Israeli strikes on Gaza which killed a top Hamas commander and six others, demanding an immediate end to the bloodshed.

"President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the Israeli aggression on Gaza," said a statement carried on the official WAFA news agency issued shortly after an Israeli strike hit a car in Gaza City, killing Hamas military chief Ahmed al-Jaabari.

"Abbas warned of the seriousness of the Israeli escalation and demanded an immediate end to the aggression.

"Abbas asked Arab League, Secretary-General, Nabil al-Arabi, to call an emergency meeting... to discuss the dangerous Israeli escalation and brutal aggression on our people in the Gaza Strip," WAFA added.

The statement was issued from Switzerland, where Abbas was holding meetings with officials ahead of a bid to seek enhanced membership at the United Nations later this month.

"It seems that Israel prepared a wide-scale aggression against the Gaza Strip, despite Egyptian efforts to reach a calm," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP.

"There was a clear Israeli plan to assassinate Jaabari and massively bomb the Gaza Strip," he said.