Read more
The Israeli military has since acknowledged that the airstrike went wrong.
A young boy inspects the site of an Israeli strike that killed Palestinians gathered at a water distribution point, according to medics, in central Gaza on 13 July 2025. Picture: X/@DI313_
Israeli air strikes have killed at least 45 Palestinians, among them eight children, near a water distribution point, blaming it on a technical error.
Mahmoud Basal, civil defence spokesman, said there were multiple Israeli strikes on Gaza City overnight and early morning on Sunday, resulting in eight deaths, “including women and children”, with additional injuries reported.
Strike at a water point
The Gaza Civil Defence Agency said the loss of lives was due to a drone strike at a water point.
Video from the chaotic scene at the water point showed multiple casualties, including children, amid buckets and water carriers.
The strikes on Sunday come as talks for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas stalled, with delegates from both sides having spent a week trying to agree on a temporary truce to halt 21 months of devastating fighting in the Gaza Strip, Al Jazeera reported.
The Israeli military has since acknowledged that the airstrike went wrong and blamed the attack on a technical error when targeting a group in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, adding that the “munition fell dozens of meters from the target.”
It said the incident was under review.
ALSO READ: Israel bombs café during children’s birthday party in Gaza — 39 killed
Another attack
In another attack, 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 in 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.”
Ceasefire
Washington is Israel’s top ally, and United States President Donald Trump has been pushing for a ceasefire, with the American president saying on Sunday that he was hopeful of a deal, but there was no immediate sign that an end to the fighting was near.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that 139 bodies had been brought to the enclave’s hospitals in the past 24 hours, with a number of victims still under the rubble. The number is the highest reported since July 2
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 58,026 people and wounded 138,520 others, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
ALSO READ: Israel accused of starving Gaza ‘by design’ — South Africa addresses ICJ
