"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.

In a separate statement, the Hamas-run interior ministry condemned the killing of the two police officers, saying "they were performing their humanitarian and national duty in serving our people".

"By committing the assassination, the occupation continues to spread chaos in the (Gaza) Strip and deepen the human suffering of citizens," the ministry said, adding that "the police force is a civil protection force that works to provide services to citizens".

Nearly 15 months of war have devastated Gaza's infrastructure and institutions leading aid agencies to warn of the breakdown of social order.

The ministry said Salah spent 30 years in the police and was appointed its chief six years ago.

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

Saleem Abu Subha, a Gaza ambulance driver, described the scene of the strike, saying "We immediately went to the place and found the injured lying on the ground, most of them children, as well as two female martyrs".

"About 10 tents were damaged, and scattered fires were visible."

On Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz 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.