At least ten Palestinians, including six children, were killed in an Israeli air strike on Sunday while gathering water in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to emergency officials. The victims had been queuing with jerry cans beside a water tanker when a missile reportedly fired from a drone struck the area.
Bodies were transported to al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat, which also treated 16 injured people, including seven children. Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos, with wounded civilians ferried away using private vehicles and donkey carts.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged the incident, stating that a “technical error” led a munition to miss its intended target an Islamic Jihad member by dozens of meters. The military said the strike is under review and reiterated its commitment to minimizing civilian harm, though added it “regrets any harm to uninvolved civilians.”
Unverified footage circulating online showed bloodied children and distressed residents at the scene. The strike comes amid intensified aerial attacks across Gaza, where humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate.
On the same day, Gaza’s Civil Defence Agency reported 19 more deaths in separate strikes on residential buildings in central Gaza and Gaza City. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) added that its Rafah field hospital had recently treated more mass casualty cases in six weeks than in the entire preceding year. On Saturday alone, it received 132 weapon-injured patients, 31 of whom died.
Many of those wounded said they were attempting to access food distribution sites. A separate incident near an aid center in southern Gaza left 24 people dead, with reports of Israeli troops opening fire. The IDF denied causing injuries at the location, stating warning shots were used to disperse perceived threats.
The UN human rights office has documented at least 789 aid-related killings since May 27. Meanwhile, Gaza’s humanitarian crisis deepens, with over 90% of homes damaged, basic services crippled, and fuel shortages threatening hospital operations.
Since the war began following Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, more than 57,800 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
