Massacre

The hospital where the bodies were taken confirmed the number of victims and stated that several people were wounded in the attack, AP reported.

Witnesses to the attack said the attack targeted improvised Hamas-led police inside the shelter.

On the other hand, the IDF said that the airstrike on a former school in Gaza, which housed displaced persons, was aimed at militants operating in the compound.

"A number of steps were taken prior to the attack to mitigate the risk of civilian casualties, including the use of precision munitions, aerial surveillance and additional intelligence," the Israeli military said, according to Reuters.

Earlier today, it was announced that 16 Palestinians were killed in an attack on a school in Deir Al-Balah.

Israel's assault on Gaza since the start of the war has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who said women and children accounted for more than half of the deaths.