After murdering six children waiting in line for water in Gaza’s Al-Nuseirat refugee camp, Israel has blamed a ‘technical error’ for the drone strike, as the death toll from its attacks on food and water distribution points climbs to 800.
The total number of Palestinians killed since October 2023 now exceeds 58,000, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Witnesses said an Israeli drone targeted a crowd of families gathering with empty containers next to a water tanker. In total, ten people were killed, including six children, while 16 others—including seven more children—were injured and taken to Al-Awda Hospital. Survivors were seen being transported in the backs of trucks and donkey carts.
Israel claims it targeted fighters, but the munition landed ‘dozens of metres’ off target due to a technical malfunction. In a statement, the military said it ‘regrets any harm to uninvolved civilians’, a routine disclaimer repeatedly issued after mass civilian casualties.
The latest killings are part of a grim pattern of Israeli attacks on people queuing for food, with as many as 800 Palestinians killed while waiting for food or water. The UN and rights organisations have accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war, in breach of international law.
On the same day, an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza City killed 11 more people, including surgeon Dr Ahmed Qandil, who was en route to Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital where the dead and wounded were later taken. Another strike in Zawaida killed nine civilians, including three children and two women, health officials said.
The overwhelming majority of those killed in Gaza have been women and children. Human rights organisations, the UN, and the International Court of Justice have found credible evidence that Israel is committing war crimes and genocide, including the targeting of civilians, hospitals, and essential infrastructure.
More specifically, critics argue that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute a breach of Article II(c) of the Genocide Convention, which defines genocide to include:
‘Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.’
Meanwhile in the illegally occupied West Bank, mourners held the funeral for 20-year-old Palestinian-American Sayfollah Musallet, who was beaten to death by Israeli settlers on Saturday in Al-Mazraa Al-Sharqiya. Another Palestinian, Seifeddine Musalat, 23, was also killed, while a third man, Mohammed al-Shalabi, was shot in the chest.
Musallet’s family, based in Florida, has called on the US State Department to investigate and hold the perpetrators accountable. The administration of President Donald Trump has yet to issue a public response. US officials have consistently deflected calls to address Israeli settler violence, which has surged under the protection of Israeli forces.