Children killed collecting water in Gaza, medical officials say, as ceasefire talks hit sticking points

Several children were killed in an Israeli airstrike at a water distribution point in central Gaza Sunday, health officials said, one of several deadly incidents in the territory that come as ceasefire talks in Doha falter.

Several children were killed in an Israeli airstrike at a water distribution point in central Gaza Sunday, health officials said, one of several deadly incidents in the territory that come as ceasefire talks in Doha falter. Hopes had been high for the latest negotiations but after days of negotiations the two sides accused each other of blocking an agreement while on the ground there has been no let-up in Israel’s military campaign, which resumed when the last ceasefire collapsed in March. The Palestinian health ministry reported Sunday that 139 bodies had been brought to Gaza hospitals in the past 24 hours, with a number of victims still under the rubble. The number is the highest reported since July 2 and brings the total number of people killed since October 7, 2023 to 58,026, according to the ministry. That was before the Israeli airstrike Sunday killed six children and four others at a water distribution point in central Gaza, according to Al-Awda Hospital. Video from the chaotic scene showed multiple casualties including children amid buckets and water carriers. The Israeli military acknowledged that an airstrike targeting an “Islamic Jihad terrorist” had gone wrong and the “munition fell dozens of meters from the target,” saying the incident was under review. Also in central Gaza on Sunday, at least 12 people were killed and more than 40 injured when an Israeli airstrike targeted a crowded junction, according to Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, Director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex central Gaza City. The dead included a prominent doctor, Ahmad Qandeel, described by the health ministry as “one of Gaza’s most respected medical professionals.”