Israeli aircraft have bombed the Palestinian foreign ministry in Gaza, causing widespread damage and injuring at least 10 people, Palestinian sources said.

Those injured were mostly hit by flying glass while in neighbouring buildings, and it was not known if anyone was in the ministry at the time.

Ambulances and rescue services raced to the scene early on Thursday as a fire blazed in the building.

Houses and cars in the area were badly damaged by the force of the blast and much of the foreign ministry building was destroyed, witnesses said.

"This is state terrorism against the Palestinian people," Taher al-Nunu, a Palestinian foreign ministry spokesman, said of the attack.

An Israeli military spokeswoman in Tel Aviv confirmed the air raid and said the ministry was led by Hamas and used by the governing the group to further its activities.

Gaza offensive

Meanwhile, a separate air strike, near Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, killed an Islamic Jihad fighter and wounded another.

Israel killed at least 24 Palestinians in Gaza on Wednesday, including nine members of one family in an air raid that destroyed a house where the army said senior Hamas commanders were meeting.

PHOTO CAPTION

A Palestinian carries his injured son to hospital in Gaza City. (AFP)