Israeli air strike kills 10 in central Gaza, including 6 children: BBC

New Delhi, Jul 13: At least ten people, including six children, were killed in an Israeli air strike while they were waiting to collect water in central Gaza on Sunday, the BBC reported, quoting emergency service officials. The victims had gathered with jerry cans near a water tanker in the heart of al-Nuseirat refugee camp when the strike occurred.

According to eyewitnesses cited by the BBC, an Israeli drone fired a missile at the crowd. “It hit people waiting for water,” said one resident, describing scenes of panic and bloodied children. Videos shared online show chaotic aftermaths, with lifeless bodies and desperate attempts to rescue the wounded. The bodies of the deceased were taken to the al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat, which also treated 16 injured people, seven of them children, according to a doctor at the facility.

The strike is part of a broader intensification of Israeli aerial attacks across Gaza. A spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defence Agency told the BBC that an additional 19 Palestinians were killed on Sunday in separate strikes on residential buildings in central Gaza and Gaza City.

Gaza’s humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. More than 90% of homes are estimated to be damaged or destroyed, and much of the population has been displaced multiple times. Health services, water supply, sanitation, and food systems are in collapse, amid acute shortages of fuel, medicine, and shelter.

The United Nations said 75,000 litres of fuel were allowed into Gaza this week, the first such entry in 130 days, but stressed it was “far from enough” to meet basic civilian and humanitarian needs. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is worsening amid continued hostilities, with no sign of a breakthrough in ceasefire talks.