Israeli missile kills six children collecting water in Gaza
The strike hit a water distribution point in Nuseirat refugee camp on Sunday, killing six children and injuring 17 others, said Ahmed Abu Saifan, an emergency physician at Al-Awda Hospital.
The Israeli military said the missile had intended to hit an Islamic Jihad militant in the area but that a malfunction had caused it to fall 'dozens of metres from the target'.
'The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved civilians,' it said in a statement, adding that the incident was under review.
Water shortages in Gaza have worsened sharply in recent weeks, with fuel shortages causing desalination and sanitation facilities to close, making people dependent on collection centres where they can fill up their plastic containers.
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Ramadan Nassar, a witness who lives in the area, told the Associated Press that about 20 children and 14 adults had been lined up to get water. He said Palestinians walk some 2 kilometres to fetch water from the area.
In Nuseirat, a small boy leaned over a body bag to say goodbye to a friend.
'There is no safe place,' resident Raafat Fanouna said as some people went over the rubble with sticks and bare hands
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