Israel intensified strikes on Gaza hours after a ceasefire and hostage release deal was announced, residents and authorities in the Palestinian enclave said, and mediators sought to quell fighting ahead of the truce's start on Sunday.

Israel intensified strikes on Gaza hours after a ceasefire and hostage release deal was announced, killing 32 people in an attack late on Wednesday. The heavy bombardment in Gaza City continued overnight into Thursday morning, destroying houses in Rafah in the south, Nuseirat in central Gaza, as well as in the north, residents said.

Among the dead were six women and four children, health officials said, as negotiators try to conclude a deal to end the 15-month war.