After the missile slammed into the bus, the Palestinians lobbed at least 45 mortar rounds and several rockets into southern Israel, hitting a house, and the army responded by staging multiple raids across the enclave.

Late Thursday, in a bid to prevent further Israeli strikes, Hamas said it had got most armed Palestinian factions in Gaza to sign on to a ceasefire.

As the rockets flew over the border, Israel's Iron Dome short-range missile defence system intercepted a projectile heading for the southern port city of Ashkelon, in what was the first time such a system has ever been successfully used anywhere in a combat situation.

The bus attack was claimed by the military wing of Hamas and was the first time an anti-tank missile from Gaza had hit a civilian target in Israel, prompting Israel to vow a harsh response.

AFP