Israel and Palestine latest: Hundreds of rockets launched between states leave 12 dead in most severe exchange of violence since 2014 war

Israel and Palestine have engaged in what is thought to be their most violent exchange since all-out war in 2014, with rocket fire leaving 12 dead.

Out of those fatalities, 11 were in Gaza while one was killed in Israel after a rocket hit an apartment,

In this new wave of conflict, beginning on Sunday, some 370 bombs have been launched by Gaza towards Israel.

Around 100 militant targets have been hit in Gaza by Israel, since the violence broke out on Sunday night.

Many of Gaza's shots towards Israel were intercepted by its anti-missile system Iron Dome.

Palestinian militants fired on Israel on Monday in response to a botched undercover raid, sending four rockets across the border, prompting a heavy response from Tel Aviv.

Amid the devastating scenes officials said at least three people, including two militants, were killed by Israeli fire and nine were wounded, after an Israeli air strike destroyed the ruling Hamas group's Al Aqsa TV station.

The national rescue service said at least 20 people were also wounded, among them a 19-year-old soldier and a 60-year-old woman who were in critical condition.

"Rockets must STOP, restraint must be shown by all!" the UN Middle East envoy's office tweeted.

At one point on Monday militants launched 100 rockets in less than an hour - the most intense barrage since the 50-day war four years ago.

The rockets, which continued into the evening, lit up the skies of Gaza and set off air raid sirens throughout southern Israel.

The military said planes, helicopters and tanks had struck more than 30 militant targets, including military compounds, observation posts and weapons facilities.

Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman, said the army had sent additional infantry troops, rocket defence systems and intelligence units to the Gaza border.

"We continue to strike and retaliate against the military targets belonging to terrorist organisations in Gaza, and as for our intentions we will enhance these efforts as needed," he told reporters.

Israel had fired warning shots ahead of the strike, prompting the station to halt programming and replace it with a logo.

Minutes later, the air strike flattened the three-storey building and the station went black.

Workers had evacuated the building after the warning shots, and there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum condemned the bombing as "a barbaric, brazen aggression". Ten minutes later, the station resumed broadcasts, airing pre-recorded national songs.

Israel said the station "broadcasts violent propaganda" and provides "operational messaging" to militants.

A second air strike destroyed a five-storey office building that housed Hamas media offices. The strike also followed warning shots and there were no reports of casualties.

Hamas and the smaller militant group Islamic Jihad said the rocket fire was revenge for Sunday night's Israeli incursion. Islamic Jihad spokesman Daoud Shehab said the groups wanted "the occupation and its supporters to know that the lives of our sons come with a price".

As Gaza continued to launch artillery, rockets landed in the southern Israeli town of Sderot, setting off a large fire near a shopping centre.

Another rocket landed near a factory, and several homes were hit in southern towns.

The military said a bus travelling near the border was struck by an anti-tank missile, critically wounding a 19-year-old soldier.

The strike set the bus on fire, sending a large plume of black smoke over the area. Lt Col Conricus said others were injured in the attack, but gave no further details.

The Hamas strikes were prompted when Isaeli forces were discovered on an apparent undercover mission in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza - the first known ground incursion by the IDF since 2014.

Seven Palestinians died in a resulting firefight, including Nour Baraka, a commander in Hamas' military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades.

An Israeli officer was also killed during Sunday's operation, which the IDF said was to gather intelligence.

According to some reports, some of the soldiers were dressed as women when their vehicle was stopped in Baraka.

The Israeli soldier reportedly shot the militant with a silenced gun before speeding into an olive grove where they were extracted by helicopter. Hamas fighters on the ground were then hit from the air as they pursued the Israeli team.

The strike put an end to an unofficial ceasefire brokered by the UN, and prompted motor and rocket fire from Hamas today.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on a visit to Paris for a First World War commemoration as the fighting broke out, and swiftly returned to Tel Aviv.

Israel had only recently lifted blockades on aid deliveries from Egypt and Qatar being allowed into the 140 square-mile occupied land.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2007, after the Islamic militant group seized control of Gaza from the internationally-backed Palestinian Authority. In the most recent more than 2,200 Palestinians were killed, the majority of them civilians, and tens of thousands were left homeless.

Seventy-three people were killed on the Israeli side.

Reporting by the Associated Press.