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

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.

Israeli airstrikes on Gaza killed at least 13 people in 24 hours, medics said Wednesday, as a cease-fire deal remained out of reach after hours of negotiations and a new study estimated the death toll in the enclave throughout the war was undercounted by almost 20,