A Palestinian mother and her daughter rush for cover during an Israeli strike in the Al-Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip. AFP
Israel has recently expanded its military operations in the Gaza Strip, where the war has created dire humanitarian conditions for the Palestinian territory's population of more than two million.
Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said five of the dead were killed in a strike on a school in Gaza City.
A second strike near another school in the city, where displaced civilians had found shelter, killed three people and wounded around 10, including children, he said.
Many Gazans have sought shelter in schools and other public buildings since the war began with Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel.
Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it could not comment on specific attacks without precise coordinates.
The latest strikes came hours after Hamas said it was ready to start talks "immediately" on a US-sponsored proposal for a Gaza ceasefire.
The proposal came ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's departure for talks on Monday in Washington, where US President Donald Trump has intensified calls for an end to the war.
Israel said Saturday it was still mulling its response to a positive reaction from Hamas to the latest US-sponsored proposal for a Gaza ceasefire.
"No decision has been made yet on that issue," a government official told AFP on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak publicly about it. Israel's security cabinet was due to meet later on Saturday, after the end of the Jewish sabbath at sundown, Israeli media reported.
Israel's genocidal war began in October 2023, has killed more than 57,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza's health ministry. The United Nations considers its figures reliable.
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