Gaza death toll from Israeli strikes rises to 172, 1230 wounded

The death toll in the Gaza Strip from Israeli strikes has risen to 172, while the number of wounded is being pegged at 1230.

Media reports quoted these figures, even as the Israel's aerial pounding of the Gaza Strip entered its seventh day on Monday.

Meanwhile, the BBC reports that thousands of Palestinians are fleeing northern parts of Gaza after Israel warned it was targeting the area in its campaign to stop the continuing rocket attacks from Gaza militants.

The United Nations (UN) has claimed that about 17,000 people have sought refuge in its facilities.

The dead are said to include 18 members of one family who died in an Israeli missile strike on Saturday evening.

A spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner, disputed the casualty figures, saying they were not objective.

Israel says it is targeting Hamas militants and "terror sites", including the homes of senior operatives.

However, the UN has estimated that 77 per cent of the people killed in Gaza have been civilians.

The UN Security Council has called for a ceasefire and peace talks.