The Palestinian death toll has hit at least 425 since the July 8 start of Israel's military offensive there, with 87 killed on Sunday alone, Palestinian health officials said.

The vast majority of Sunday's dead were in the Shejaiya neighbourhood between Gaza City and the Israeli border, with at least 62 people killed there in a blistering bombardment which began overnight, emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said.

At least 250 were wounded in Shejaiya, he said.

Following an urgent appeal from the International Committee of the Red Cross, both sides agreed to temporarily halt fire in the neighbourhood, ending at 1730 GMT.

As the ceasefire got under way, a convoy of ambulances entered Shejaiya, with medics seen picking up at least three dead bodies, including that of a man with his intestines hanging out and his head destroyed, an AFP correspondent reported.

Al-Qudra said that of the 425 Palestinians killed since the start of Israel's assault on Gaza, 112 were minors, 41 women and 25 elderly people.

*This story has been edited by Ahram Online.