By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Simon Lewis

CAIRO/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel destroyed a score of buildings in Gaza City, killing at least 16 Palestinians, local health authorities said on Monday, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the war with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

Rubio's visit coincided with an emergency summit in Qatar of Arab and Islamic states, some of them close U.S. allies, convened in response to Israel's attack last week on leaders of Hamas who reside in the Gulf state.

While diplomacy unfolded in Jerusalem and Doha, the Palestinian death toll kept mounting with two air strikes on sites in Gaza City, one on two family homes and another on a tent housing a displaced family.

STRIKES ON GAZA CITY FROM AIR AND GROUND

Witnesses said strikes from the air and the ground hit several areas, spreading panic and prompting thousands to flee encampments established in streets and open areas.

Israel says the offensive to take control of Gaza City is part of a plan to defeat Hamas for good, and that it has warned civilians to head south to a designated humanitarian zone.

However, the U.N. and numerous........

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