An Israeli strike at Gaza water station killed 10 people, including six children, while they were waiting to fill water containers in central Palestine on Sunday, emergency service officials stated. The bodies of the deceased were sent to Nuseirat’s al-Awda Hospital, where 16 injured people, including seven children were also treated.
According to eyewitnesses account, a drone hovering over the al-Nuseirat refugee camp fired a missile at a crowd queuing with empty cans to fill water next to a water tanker in central Gaza. About 20 children and 14 adults had lined up when the strike took place, a local resident Ramadan Nassar told Associated Press.
The Israel Defense Forces said that there had been a “technical error” that caused a strike which was aimed at an Islamic Jihad “terrorist” which caused the munition to drop several metres away from the target. The Israeli military said the incident is under review.
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Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli army strike on a house belonging to the Al-Arabid family killing at least 9 people, in Al-Zawida, central Gaza Strip. (AP Photo)
The IDF added that it was aware of the casualties that have occurred in the area due to the strike and said it works to lower civilian harm “as much as possible” and “regrets any harm to uninvolved civilians”.
A BBC report states that verified video footage showed dozens of people rushing to help injured people, including children after the Israeli drone struck the water station in Gaza. The strike comes as Israeli aerial attacks across the Gaza Strip have escalated.
Spokesperson for the Civil Defence Agency of Gaza said that 19 other Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on Sunday, in three separate strikes on residential buildings in Gaza city.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, “The alarming frequency and scale of these mass casualty incidents underscore the horrific conditions civilians in Gaza are enduring,” BBC reported.
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The Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks are at a loggerheads due to several demands from both the sides which are creating a hindrance in brokering a truce deal.