The attack took place before dawn in an eastern neighbourhood of Gaza City, the territory’s largest urban area, according to the agency, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas.

“An Israeli airstrike before dawn killed four and wounded several,” the civil defence agency reported.

Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital confirmed the toll, saying the strike was carried out by an Israeli drone.

“Four martyrs and five wounded arrived at the hospital this morning after an Israeli drone fired two missiles at a group of civilians,” the hospital said in a statement.

Reached for comment, the army said it was looking into the reports.

Despite a ceasefire being in effect, Israel has continued to launch strikes across Gaza, killing at least 715 people since the truce took hold on Oct 10, according to the territory’s health ministry, which also operates under Hamas authority.

The UN considers the ministry’s figures to be reliable.

Israel says five of its soldiers have been killed since the start of the truce.

Media restrictions and limited access in Gaza have prevented AFP from independently verifying casualty figures or freely covering the fighting.

Israel and Hamas continue to accuse each other of violating the ceasefire that largely halted two years of war in the territory.