Israel invites foreign press to tour Kfar Azza killing aftermath

Journalists have inspected an Israeli town that was the scene of a raid by Hamas fighters which reportedly left dozens of civilians dead.

Hamas fighters reached the kibbutz of Kfar Aza, close to the border with the Gaza Strip, early on Saturday in their surprise attack, with fighting raging for days after the assault and the death toll from the violence still unclear.

Israel's military escorted a pool of foreign reporters around the site on Tuesday although Israeli media were not permitted entry, The Times of Israel reported Tuesday.

A journalist from i24NEWS, an Israeli outlet which is close to current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Haaretz's Anshel Pfeffer toured the site.

Nicole Zedeck, a journalist with i24, reported claims by soldiers of mass killings by Hamas fighters.

Pfeffer wrote that "the stench of death" hung over Kfar Azza and said it would likely be the bloodiest scene of slaughter in Israel over the past four days. The Israeli military told the reporter that the death toll there would likely be over the 108 bodies reportedly found at a nearby kibbutz.

At least 1,200 people were killed when Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip raided nearby Israeli villages and a music festival, with over 100 people kidnapped.

Israel's subsequent bombardment of the Gaza Strip has killed over 1050 Palestinians, including hundreds of children.

The Palestinian enclave is now under a complete siege with food, water, and electricity cut off.

Medics have painted a bleak scene of packed hospitals in Gaza with thousands of people injured amid the onslaught and vital medicines running out fast.

Israel's cutting off of electricity will also have a huge impact on healthcare for over 2 million Gazans - around half of them children - as bombardments of the densely populated Palestinian enclave continue.