Hospitals in Gaza said Israeli strikes killed at least 12 Palestinians on Saturday, one of the highest tolls since an October agreement aimed at stopping the fighting.

The strikes hit locations in northern and southern Gaza, including an apartment building in Gaza City and a tent in Khan Younis, officials at hospitals which received the bodies said. The casualties included two women and six children from two families.

The strikes came a day before a border crossing is expected to open in Gaza’s southern most city, a reminder that the death toll is still rising even as a ceasefire agreement inches forward.

All of the territory’s border crossings have been closed since the start of the war and Palestinians see the Rafah crossing with Egypt as a lifeline for the tens of thousands in need of treatment outside the territory because the majority of medical infrastructure has been destroyed.

Shifa hospital said the Gaza City strike killed a mother, three children and one of their relatives on Saturday morning, while Nasser hospital said a strike in a tent camp caused a fire, killing seven, including a father, his three children and three grandchildren.

Gaza’s health ministry has recorded more than 500 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the start of the ceasefire on 10 October. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records, which UN agencies and independent experts generally consider reliable.

Israel’s military did not immediately respond to questions about the strikes.