"Eleven people were martyred, including three children and two women, and 15 were injured after the occupation aircraft bombed a tent housing displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Yunis city in the southern Gaza Strip," Gaza's civil defence agency said in a statement.

Among those killed were the police chief Mahmud Salah and his deputy Hussam Shahwan, agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said.

The Israeli military told AFP that it was looking into the incident.

On Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had threatened that Israel would intensify its strikes on Gaza if Hamas continued to fire rockets into Israel.

Renewed rocket fire from Gaza in recent days has caused little damage in Israel and the rockets have been fired in far fewer numbers than in the early stages of the war, but they are a political blow for the Israeli government after nearly 15 months of fighting.

Katz also demanded the release of hostages still held in Gaza.