At least 29 Palestinians, including six children near a water distribution point, were killed in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza on Sunday, according to Gaza's civil defence agency. The attacks come as indirect ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Qatar remain deadlocked.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal reported multiple strikes in Gaza City and the Nuseirat refugee camp, with one attack on a family home claiming 10 lives. A separate drone strike at a displaced persons' water distribution site killed eight people, half of them children. Three more died when a tent sheltering displaced families in Al-Mawasi was hit.
The Israeli military has intensified operations in recent days, targeting over 35 sites it identified as Hamas facilities in Beit Hanun on Saturday. The conflict has displaced 85% of Gaza's 2.3 million residents, exacerbating what UN agencies call a "catastrophic humanitarian situation."
Qin Tian, a Middle East analyst at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, identified three key negotiation sticking points: "Israel's troop withdrawal demands, humanitarian access timelines, and Hamas' insistence on a permanent ceasefire." He noted that neither side has achieved sufficient battlefield leverage to compromise.
Qin highlighted the U.S. role in the impasse: "Washington's historically lenient stance toward Israel reduces its capacity to mediate substantive concessions." While U.S. envoy Wittekoff has joined Qatar-mediated talks, analysts remain skeptical about breakthrough prospects.
The violence continues despite international calls for restraint, with no immediate comment from Israeli officials on Sunday's casualties. As displaced families face dwindling supplies of food, water, and medical care, humanitarian organizations warn of worsening conditions in overcrowded shelters.
