Ten Palestinians, including six children, were killed Sunday in an Israeli airstrike while collecting water in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to local emergency services. The victims were queuing with jerry cans near a water tanker when an Israeli drone fired a missile, eyewitnesses said. Their bodies were transported to al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat, which also treated 16 others for injuries, including seven children. The Israeli military has yet to comment on the incident. Footage shared online showed scenes of chaos, with wounded children, bloodied bodies, and residents rushing to evacuate victims using private vehicles and donkey carts. The strike came amid an intensification of Israeli aerial operations across Gaza. According to Gaza's Civil Defence Agency, 19 other Palestinians were killed the same day in separate airstrikes on residential buildings in Gaza City and central areas of the enclave. In southern Gaza, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported a sharp increase in mass casualty cases at its Rafah field hospital over the past six weeks—exceeding the number of such incidents recorded in the entire previous year. On Saturday alone, the hospital treated 132 patients with weapon-related injuries, 31 of whom died. Most were shot while attempting to reach food distribution sites, the ICRC said. "These mass casualty incidents underscore the horrific conditions civilians in Gaza are enduring," the organization warned. Also on Saturday, 24 more Palestinians were reported killed near another aid distribution point. Witnesses said Israeli troops opened fire as people tried to access food. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said there were "no known injured individuals" due to IDF fire in the area, though a military official confirmed warning shots were fired to disperse a perceived threat. The UN Human Rights Office has documented 789 deaths related to aid access since May 27. Of these, 615 occurred near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites backed by the US and Israel, while the remainder were near UN and NGO convoys. Israel has acknowledged civilian harm in the conflict and said it is working to reduce such incidents. The GHF accused the UN of using "false and misleading" data, saying not all casualties could be linked to its aid zones. International journalists remain barred from entering Gaza, limiting independent verification. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 hostages taken. Since then, at least 57,882 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. More than 90% of Gaza's homes are damaged or destroyed. Public infrastructure has collapsed, and the territory faces extreme shortages of food, fuel, medicine, and shelter. On Thursday, a limited delivery of 75,000 liters of fuel entered Gaza for the first time in 130 days—"far from enough" to meet the population's needs, the UN said. Nine UN agencies warned that if fuel runs out, hospitals, water and sanitation systems, and bakeries will cease functioning. "Hospitals are already going dark. Maternity, neonatal, and ICU units are failing. Ambulances can no longer move," the agencies said. — Agencies
