Israel’s military said a “technical error” had caused munition to land dozens of meters from its target. The victims were gathered near a water distribution point, health workers said.

At least 82 Palestinians, including children and people fetching water, were killed Sunday in a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting residential areas and displacement tents across the Gaza Strip, according to medical sources.

The Israeli military said the strike had intended to hit a militant but that a malfunction had caused it to fall “dozens of metres from the target”.