Israel said it was looking into the “grave and awful” impact on Palestinian civilians of a Gaza strike the previous night that the army said had targeted Hamas fighters, AFP reports.

“We’re looking into this,” said government spokesperson Avi Hyman after officials in Gaza had reported 45 dead in a displacement camp where the strike caused a fire.

“It was definitely grave,” Hyman said.

“Any loss of life, civilian life, is grave and is awful. We seek to go after Hamas and limit civilian casualties […] This is an unfolding story.”

“They were drenched in Israeli blood, these two individuals,” Hyman said.

“According to initial reports, a fire broke out after the attack. These terrorists were hiding underground, and it would appear that there were civilian casualties,” Hyman added.