Gaza's sole border crossing with Egypt, the only entry point not controlled by Israel, was hit by an Israeli air strike Tuesday for the third time in 24 hours, an AFP photographer and an NGO said.

The third strike against the Rafah crossing consisted of "four missiles" which targeted the Palestinian side of the crossing, local Egyptian group Sinai for Human Rights reported.

Witnesses had said the second strike hit the no-man's land between the Egyptian and Palestinian gates, damaging the hall on the Palestinian side.

The European Union and Gulf Cooperation Council called for sustained aid for the Palestinian territories on Tuesday following concerns it could be axed after the Hamas attack on Israel.

Foreign ministers from the two blocs met in the Omani capital Muscat following mixed messages over EU aid after Saturday's unprecedented assault which set off a war with Israel.

"They stressed the importance of sustained financial support for UNRWA (the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees)," said a joint declaration read out by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

Israel said it recaptured Gaza border areas from Hamas militants on Tuesday, the fourth day of fierce fighting that has left thousands dead on both sides since the Islamists launched a surprise attack.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Israel's military campaign following Saturday's onslaught is only the start of a sustained war to destroy Hamas and "change the Middle East".

The families of Thai labourers held hostage by Hamas spoke Tuesday of their fears for their safety, after the Palestinian militant group threatened to kill civilian captives in its war with Israel.

At least 18 Thais have been killed and 11 seized since Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on Saturday.

Hamas dragged off around 150 people as hostages in its attack, and has said it will kill them one by one if Israel continues to hit Gaza with air strikes.

From fake accounts impersonating journalists to war-themed video games fueling false narratives, tech platforms are struggling to contain a tsunami of misinformation around Palestinian-Israeli hostilities after rolling back content moderation policies.

While major world events typically trigger a deluge of falsehoods, researchers say the scale and speed with which misinformation proliferated online following the weekend's deadly assault on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas was unlike ever before.

Israel appears likely to stage a ground assault on Gaza in response to deadly weekend attacks by Hamas, risking close-quarters fighting in densely populated areas, including in underground tunnels and around hostages.

Israel's government on Monday said it would "immediately cut (its) water supply to Gaza" as part of a "complete siege" on the Hamas-controlled territory.

Syria has tortured tens of thousands of its people and maintains a "widespread and pervasive" system of "abhorrent treatment", world court judges heard on Tuesday at the first international case over the civil war.

Canada and the Netherlands have dragged Syria before the International Court of Justice, asking the court to demand urgent measures to stop the ongoing mistreatment of thousands still detained.

"Every day counts," Rene Lefeber, top representative for the Netherlands, told the court.

Tensions in the Middle East bubbled up in New York City Monday, where hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered to denounce the Israeli government and demand that the United States stop its support, while supporters of Israel convened for their own counter-protests and prayers.

With signs reading "Israel go to hell!" and "NYC stands with Gaza," people of all ages stood in front of the Israeli consulate general waving Palestinian flags.

At Israel's Ramla military base, civilian volunteers and reservists gather in a show of unity that comes after nearly a year of unprecedented political division in the nation.

A surprise assault launched by the Palestinian militant group Hamas over the weekend has killed hundreds in Israel but also precipitated mass mobilisation among Israelis who have found a renewed dedication to their national cause.

The shock of a Hamas assault has restored the United States to a familiar role as unequivocal backer of Israel, using its leverage not to encourage calm but to shield its ally.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has historically had rocky relations with Democratic presidents such as Joe Biden over the Israeli leader's opposition to Palestinian sovereignty and engagement with Iran and, most recently, his hard-right government's overhaul of the judiciary.