A Tunisian primary school in the Gaza strip was struck by an Israeli air raid shortly before Tunisian Foreign Minister Rafik Abdesslem visited the coastal enclave on Saturday, Shems FM reported.

No reports have emerged on eventual casualties.

Abdesslem, who arrived in Gaza on Saturday morning as the head of a Tunisian delegation, denounced Israeli attacks on the Palestinian enclave as "against international law."

He is expected to hold talks with the Hamas prime minister, Ismail Haneya, later in the day.

According to Palestinian sources, some 40 people are reported to have been killed in the Israeli attacks since Wednesday, a number of whom children.

Three Israeli civilians were also reported to have died in retaliatory rocket strikes south of the country.