By: TPA News Desk | editor@thepointafricanews.com

An Israeli missile strike in central Gaza on Sunday, July 13, killed at least eight Palestinians, predominantly children, and wounded more than a dozen others as they were collecting water at a distribution point. The Israeli military has since stated that a technical malfunction caused the missile to miss its intended target.

The incident occurred in the Nuseirat refugee camp, where the strike hit a site critical for water collection. According to Ahmed Abu Saifan, an emergency physician at Al-Awda Hospital, six children were among the dead, with 17 others injured at that specific location. Witnesses reported around 20 children and 14 adults were lined up to fill water containers when the strike occurred.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement acknowledging the incident and expressing regret for harm to “uninvolved civilians.” The IDF claimed it had aimed to strike an Islamic Jihad militant in the area but that a “technical error with the munition” caused the missile to fall “dozens of meters from the target.” The incident is currently under review by the military.

This tragic event comes amid a severe water crisis in Gaza, exacerbated by fuel shortages that have forced the closure of desalination and sanitation facilities. Residents are increasingly dependent on communal collection points for basic water supplies, making them vulnerable targets.

The strike is one of several deadly incidents reported across Gaza on Sunday, which saw local health officials report over 30 Palestinians killed in total from various Israeli strikes, pushing the overall death toll in the conflict past 58,000 since October 2023.