After spending the night in pitch darkness, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Thursday woke up once again to the sight of pulverised neighbourhoods, as Israel unleashed more air raids following an unprecedented attack last week by Hamas, the group running the besieged enclave.

Residents have described the aerial attacks as the heaviest bombing campaign in recent memory, with more than 1,200 people killed. In Israel, the death toll from Hamas’s attack has reached 1,300.

International aid groups are now warning that deaths in Gaza could accelerate as Israel has announced a “complete siege” of the densely populated territory, blocking the entry of food and fuel.

On Wednesday, Gaza’s only power station ran out of fuel and shut down, leaving only lights powered by scattered private generators. Those will shut off shortly as well if fuel is not allowed in.