'Israeli airstrikes damaged 500 Palestinian homes'

A total of 500 houses in the Gaza Strip were damaged by the latest Israeli airstrikes, Palestine's public works minister said late Tuesday.

"In Israeli airstrikes against Gaza, 30 houses were completely destroyed and 500 houses were damaged," Mufeed al-Hasayneh said in a statement.

He added that they are working to remove the traces of the airstrikes and alleviate the pain of their people.

Israel launched a wave of airstrikes Monday across the Gaza Strip following rocket fire from the enclave which injured seven Israelis north of Tel Aviv.

The army reportedly deployed missile-defense batteries in several locations across the country while sending two additional infantry brigades to the Gaza-Israel buffer zone.

Hamas announced late Monday that Egypt had managed to secure a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza-based resistance factions.

While there was no comment from Egypt, several Israeli officials denied that a cease-fire deal had been reached.