The Israeli military has begun a ground offensive against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, stepping up its 11-day-old military operation.
Troops and tanks were sent into Gaza to deal "a significant blow to Hamas", Israel said.
A Hamas spokesman said Israel would "pay a high price" for its actions.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the invasion after days of intensive rocket fire and air strikes between the two sides.
Gaza's health ministry said 11 Palestinians had been killed since the ground offensive began on Thursday night.
A five-month-old child was among the dead, Palestinian medics told AFP news agency.
An Israeli soldier was also killed during the invasion, the Israeli military said.
Some 258 Palestinians - three-quarters of them civilians - have died since the start of the wider Israeli operation on 8 July, officials in Gaza say.
An Israeli civilian was killed from mortar fire, and several Israelis have been seriously injured, Israeli medics say.
Tunnels
In a statement, the Israeli military said: "Following 10 days of Hamas attacks by land, air and sea, and after repeated rejections of offers to de-escalate the situation, the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] has initiated a ground operation within the Gaza Strip."
The BBC's Lyse Doucet was among the journalists and residents evacuated from an area of Gaza
"Clearly this is a major escalation of this conflict," reports Quentin Sommerville in Tel Aviv
It said the goal was to "establish a reality in which Israeli residents can live in safety and security without continuous indiscriminate terror, while striking a significant blow to Hamas' terror infrastructure".
Israel said the initial phase was aimed at targeting tunnels Hamas has dug under the border with Israel to use in attacks.
On Wednesday 13 militants infiltrated into Israel through a tunnel aiming to attack a kibbutz, Israeli officials said. The Israeli military said it killed at least one of the militants, while the others are retreated through the tunnel.
Military spokesman Gen Moti Almoz said the ground offensive was the second phase of Operation Protective Edge, , following days of air strikes. "I ask the residents of Gaza to evacuate the areas in which the army is operating. This operation will be extended as much as necessary."
Israel approved the drafting of 18,000 more reservists on Thursday evening, bringing the total of extra troops called up since 8 July to 65,000.
Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal said that the Israeli ground operation was "destined to failure".
"What the occupier Israel failed to achieve through its air and sea raids, it will not be able to achieve with a ground offensive", he said.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said the ground operation would lead to "more bloodshed" and called on Israel to stop.
Mr Abbas, whose Fatah party recently agreed to a unity government with Hamas, was meeting Egyptian officials in Cairo amid efforts to negotiate a truce.
Palestinian militants fire missiles at Israel amid Israeli air strikes
An intensive bombardment of Gaza by Israeli planes, artillery and ships has been taking place.
Media in Gaza have reported seeing Israeli commandos on the beach there.
The BBC's Yolande Knell in Gaza says journalists were warned to take shelter, shortly before the ground offensive announcement was made.
Other Gaza witnesses say 10 tanks have crossed the border into north-west Gaza.
More rockets were fired from Gaza into southern Israel after the operation began, Israeli authorities said.
Are Israeli air strike warnings effective? The BBC examines footage from both sides
The BBC's Kevin Connolly in Jerusalem says it is possible that with the ground invasion Israel is seeking to improve its military position in advance of any deal, but that more probably it has concluded that a ceasefire at the moment in unlikely.
Israel says it has carried out more than 1,960 attacks on Gaza since 8 July, while militants have fired some 1,380 rockets at Israel.
The UN says at least 1,370 homes have been destroyed in Gaza and more than 18,000 people displaced in recent hostilities.
It says most of those killed in Gaza have been civilians.
Humanitarian truce
The ground offensive follows attempts in Cairo to negotiate a new ceasefire.
There was a temporary ceasefire on Thursday to allow Palestinians to stock up on supplies and aid workers to distribute water, food and hygiene kits.
The truce lasted from 10:00 (07:00 GMT) and 15:00, although both sides reported violations.
But almost immediately after it ended, Israel reported renewed militant rocket fire and there were fresh air strikes on targets in Gaza.
The health ministry in Gaza said one Israeli air strike had hit a home in the Sabra area of Gaza City on Thursday, killing three children - aged between seven and 10 - from the same family.
Are you in Gaza? Are you or is someone you know affected by the situation? Email your comments to benlatestnews@gmail.com using the subject 'Gaza'.
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