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Israel unleashed another wave of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Thursday, killing at least one Palestinian and wounding several, and Hamas fired more rockets, even as expectations rose that a cease-fire could be coming.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed back against calls from the US to wind down the Gaza offensive, appearing determined to inflict maximum damage on Hamas in a war that could help save his political career. Still, officials close to the negotiations say they expect a truce to be announced in the next 24 hours.

In another possible sign of progress, Netanyahu scheduled a meeting later Thursday (Friday morning AEST) with his Security Cabinet, where the issue of a cease-fire was likely to be debated.

READ MORE: Hamas predicts Mideast ceasefire is 'imminent'

Explosions shook Gaza City and orange flares lit up the pre-dawn sky, with bombing raids also reported in the central town of Deir al-Balah and the southern town of Khan Younis. As the sun rose, residents surveyed the rubble from at least five family homes destroyed in Khan Younis. There were also heavy airstrikes on a commercial thoroughfare in Gaza City.

The Israeli military said it struck at least three homes of Hamas commanders in Khan Younis and another in Rafah, targeting "military infrastructure," as well as a weapons storage unit at a home in Gaza City.

With hundreds already killed in the worst fighting since Israel and Hamas' 2014 war, US President Joe Biden told Israel on Wednesday that he expected "a significant de-escalation today on the path to a cease-fire" — but Netanyahu pushed back, saying he was "determined to continue this operation until its aim is met." It marked the first public rift between the two close allies since the fighting began and poses a difficult test of the US-Israel relationship early in Biden's presidency.

Still, an Egyptian intelligence official said a cease-fire was likely late Thursday or early Friday, after the US appeal bolstered Cairo's own efforts to halt the fighting. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the delicate talks.

READ MORE: Netanyahu 'determined' to continue Gaza operation despite Biden call

Khalid Okasha, director of the Egyptian Centre for Strategic Studies, which has close ties to the government, also said a cease-fire was likely in that timeframe, as did Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official.

Visiting the region, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Israel has "the right to defend itself against such unacceptable attacks." But he also expressed concern about the rising number of civilian victims and voiced support for truce efforts.

Even as the diplomatic efforts appeared to gather strength, an Israeli airstrike smashed into the Khawaldi family's two-story house in Khan Younis, destroying it. The 11 residents, who were sleeping outside of the home out of fear, were all wounded and hospitalised, said Shaker al-Khozondar, a neighbour.

READ MORE: Strike from Gaza kills two as Israel topples six-storey building

Shrapnel also hit his own home, killing his aunt and wounding her daughter and two other relatives, he said. Al-Khozondar spoke from his aunt Hoda's bedroom where she had died. The windows were shattered and the bed pillows and rubble were stained with blood.

Weam Fares, a spokesman for a nearby hospital, confirmed the death and said at least 10 people were wounded in strikes overnight.

Heavy airstrikes also pummelled a street in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza, destroying ramshackle homes with corrugated metal roofs nearby. The military said it struck two underground launchers in the camp used to fire rockets at Tel Aviv.

"Never in my life have I seen such destruction," said Ibrahim Afana, 44. "We didn't even have three minutes to put a slipper on our foot," he said, describing his family's panicked flight after they were awakened by the bombing. He said the army had called some residents to warn them about the impending strikes. There were no reports of casualties.

The current round of fighting between Israel and Hamas began May 10, when the militant group fired long-range rockets toward Jerusalem after days of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a flashpoint site sacred to Jews and Muslims. Heavy-handed police tactics at the compound and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers had inflamed tensions.

Since then, Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes that it says have targeted Hamas' infrastructure, including a vast tunnel network. Hamas and other militant groups embedded in residential areas have fired over 4,000 rockets at Israeli cities, with hundreds falling short and most of the rest intercepted.

At least 230 Palestinians have been killed, including 65 children and 39 women, with 1710 people wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not break the numbers down into fighters and civilians. Hamas and militant group Islamic Jihad say at least 20 of their fighters have been killed, while Israel says the number is at least 130. Some 58,000 Palestinians have fled their homes.

Twelve people in Israel, including a 5-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl and a soldier, have been killed. The military said an anti-tank missile fired from Gaza hit an empty bus near the frontier on Thursday, lightly wounding an Israeli soldier.

Since the fighting began, Gaza's infrastructure, already weakened by a 14-year blockade, has rapidly deteriorated. Medical supplies, water and fuel for electricity are running low in the territory, on which Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade after Hamas seized power in 2007.

Israeli bombing has damaged over 50 schools across the territory, according to advocacy group Save the Children, completely destroying at least six. While repairs are done, education will be disrupted for nearly 42,000 children.

Israeli attacks have also damaged at least 18 hospitals and clinics and destroyed one health facility, the World Health Organisation said. Nearly half of all essential drugs have run out.

From today Twitter will allow users to apply for a much-coveted "blue tick" as part of a new verification process on the social platform.

As reported by Nine.com.au earlier this week, Twitter's decision to re-allow applications for the blue tick comes after a four-year hiatus following a dumping of the program in 2017.

The social giant said giving users a "blue badge" was a way of helping users distinguish authentic, trustworthy accounts.

READ MORE: Twitter's blue tick system about to relaunch, researcher claims

"The blue badge is one of the ways we help people distinguish the authenticity of accounts that are of high public interest," Twitter said.

"It gives people on Twitter more context about who they're having conversations with so they can determine if it's trustworthy, which our research has shown leads to healthier, more informed conversations."

To qualify for a blue tick, users must fit the criteria of one of six categories as well as having a profile name, image and a confirmed email address or phone number.

READ MORE: Twitter ditches 'biased' image-cropping algorithm

A full list of the categories can be found below.

Twitter said it anticipates most applications to be approved or knocked back within a couple of days.

"Once you submit your application, you can expect an emailed response from us within a few days, but this could take up to a few weeks depending on how many open applications are in our queue," Twitter said in its release.

"If your application is approved, you'll see the blue badge automatically on your profile. If you think we made a mistake, reapply 30 days after receiving our decision on your application."

The social giant says it plans to create more categories going forward, specifically for scientists, academics and religious leaders.

Those interested in applying should see the verification tab appear under the "Account Settings" tab of their profile in the coming days.

READ MORE: 'A total disgrace': Facebook board upholds Trump's ban

Who's eligible for a Twitter blue tick?

To qualify for verification, you must fit the criteria of one of the six categories listed below:

• Government
• Companies, brands and organisations
• News organisations and journalists
• Entertainment
• Sports and gaming
• Activists, organisers, and other influential individuals

Apple's frantic start to the year continues with an all-new Apple TV 4K device available for $249, joining the all-new iMac and iPad Pros, all of which were announced a month ago at the tech giant's first event of 2021.

An Apple TV device is a complete smart TV interface for absolutely any TV. You can install apps from an App Store just like your smartphone, with the apps available all focused on the big-screen experience.

Streaming apps like Stan, Netflix, Amazon and Disney as well as catch-up streaming from 9Now and more – all accessible from a single remote.

And that remote is one of the biggest differences in the new model. It's that good, you can buy it separately for $79 to suit your existing Apple TV unit.

READ MORE: The new iPad Pro reviewed

It's a whole lot thicker and "bulkier" than previous Apple TV remotes, though hardly a punish when compared to pretty much every other remote on the market today.

There are two core differences. A new Siri button on the right hand side, similarly placed to the Siri button on an iPhone.

Voice commands are a brilliant way to search for TV shows, movies, and launch apps and restart watching your favourite show.

While watching a show, the new navigation buttons on the remote come into their own. Pause the show, then you can skip forward and back, but also use the circle of the buttons as a touch interface to skim through your show.

READ MORE: Putting Apple's new AirTags to the test

It works wonderfully well and the whole remote control has been thought out as if based entirely on user feedback, as opposed to Apple's design team making decisions.

Under the hood, is the Apple A12 Bionic processor, providing more power than any set-top-box should ever need, however in this case it helps ensure the Apple TV 4K is capable of the High Frame Rate HDR, as well as Dolby Vision video.

All of that is great, but it's secondary to the one pure genius bit of technology in the new Apple TV 4K: Colour Balance.

READ MORE: Aussie retailers pull AirTag from shelves two weeks after release

In the settings, you can launch a Colour Balance process, that uses your nearby iPhone to calibrate your TV screen.

You place your phone up against the TV, with the light sensor near the camera being triggered by an array of colours and colour tones.

The Apple TV then adjusts its output to suit your TV. Rather than you playing around with colour settings, the Apple TV does it for you.

This was very noticeable to me, and I think really adds to your viewing experience.

Alongside the popular Fetch TV box, Apple TV is without question the choice for many when it comes to getting more new content options on their existing TV, the new Apple TV 4K blitzes it with the best quality picture you've ever seen coming from a set-top box.

There's an HD version for $209, or this new 4K version for $249 – on sale tomorrow here in Australia.

Back in the lamb-and-three-veg days of the 1960s and 1970s, trying to get on a lawn bowls green was mission impossible.

"They were the premium years in bowls, the '60s and '70s," Balmain Bowling Club chairman Ross Craig told 9News.

"There were so many members in the clubs."

READ MORE: Derelict Surfers Paradise tower and bowls club back on the market

And there were so many clubs, one for nearly every suburb. But as the '70s disappeared into the '80s, '90s and the 21st century, the core constituency that had kept the clubs afloat sadly began to fade away, either through ill health or the inevitable battle with the mortal coil, which no one ever wins. 

"Balmain Bowling Club is New South Wales' oldest bowling club," Mr Craig said.

"We've been here since 1880 in the community, supporting the community."

And the community supported the club from 1880, when it was first perched on a bare peninsula, and then surrounded by a smattering of houses and wharfs that rapidly thickened.

The Tigers, too, soon found themselves being backed against a financial wall. They sold off the third green, which swiftly evolved into an apartment block.

The middle and original green was left fallow, the remaining surface given the roughly $80,000 dollar yearly manicure required.

Even the roofspace was sold off to support a cell tower, perfectly positioned thanks to the topography of the Balmain Peninsula. Still, the till was not empty, but emptying.

READ MORE: Property valuers predict more price hikes as Aussies give up on home ownership

But bowls being bowls, teams travel from club to club for competition, and Ross soon found himself talking with other club officials dealing with similar financial problems.

Many had amalgamated with what had become a lawn bowls mega-club at St John's Park, on the western rim of Sydney's motorway orbital.

Driven by the growth of population and poker machine, St John's Park Bowling Club is not a club, but a complex, complete with multi-storey parking lot. Its business model considers these amalgams with smaller clubs as a positive.

"There was no way we were going to let the history of this club go," St John's Park marketing director Debbie Hilder told 9News.

"Bowls is the core of our business … and the little guys need some help."

It seems the deal works.

"They've taken over Balmain Bowling Club, but we still trade — or play — under Balmain Bowling Club as the name," Mr Craig said.

It's a new corporate relationship that has evolved for 12 other NSW clubs over the past five years. A better fate than folding, as seven other clubs have experienced over the same period.

Today, there was one other partner needing assistance, that being me, as I sprayed bowls all over the joint as Ross's partner in a few ends.

"It looks like Des and Neil have just towelled us up; I'm assuming that's the case?" I asked.

Ross: "Yeah, that's it.

Me: "Mate, get in there. Rescue us, from me."