Israeli bombings in Gaza have killed at least 81 Palestinians in the past 24 hours, according to health authorities in the enclave, as emergency crews reported heavy and intense strikes overnight into Thursday.

At least 188 other people have been injured, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said on Thursday. The number of people killed by Israeli attacks over the past day marked the highest daily death toll in 11 days, according to a CNN tally of recent figures from the health ministry.

Local emergency crews described scenes of relentless bombardment since Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire and hostage release deal on Wednesday.

At least 77 Palestinians were killed – including 21 children and 25 women – since the ceasefire was announced, Mahmoud Basal, a spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense, told CNN. More than 250 other people were injured, he said.

The Israeli military said it “conducted strikes on approximately 50 terror targets across the Gaza Strip” over the past day. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told CNN that a Hamas militant who participated in the Nova Music Festival attack – the deadliest massacre on October 7 – was among those killed.

Among those killed on Thursday were two Palestinians at a school where displaced people sought refuge, in the Zeitoun neighborhood, central Gaza, according to the civil defense.

The IDF told CNN that it conducted a strike on Hamas terrorists who were operating inside terrorist infrastructure in a compound that previously served as the Al-Falah school in the Zeitoun area.

In northern Gaza, Israeli aircraft struck a house near a mosque, killing at least two people, the civil defense said.

The IDF told CNN that it “targeted a Hamas terrorist in that area around that time.”

Basal, the civil defense spokesperson, told CNN in a voice message: “Every time there is talk about a truce or a ceasefire, we witness an escalation in the intensity of the bombardment,”

The onslaught overnight came after an agreement was reached between Hamas and Israel on Wednesday – with the first phase expected to start on Sunday and last for six weeks. Human rights groups welcomed the news and ramped up calls for a permanent ceasefire.

(Source: CNN)