The death toll is continuing to rise in a recently-fuelled conflict between Israel and the Gaza strip.

The Hamas militant group launched a surprise attack on Israel on Saturday night New Zealand time.

More than 35 hours later, about 700 Israelis are known to have been killed in the fighting, and more than 400 people have been killed in retaliatory air strikes by Israeli forces into Gaza.

Thousands have been wounded on both sides, and both have confirmed that many Israelis were taken hostage by Hamas.

University of Waikato International Law Professor Dr Al Gillespie told Charlotte Cook that the complicated conflict will continue to escalate