It was another productive Sunday in the Gaza Strip, where military-grade “oops” continues to be a staple of regional relations. This time, a missile launched by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reportedly veered “dozens of metres” off course—just enough, it seems, to obliterate a group of children queuing for water.
According to Israeli officials, the strike was meant to hit a chap from Islamic Jihad, but the munition suffered from what was generously described as a “technical error.” This is not to be confused with a strategic error, which would imply someone might eventually be held responsible.
Instead, the missile introduced itself to a water collection point in Nuseirat refugee camp, where roughly 20 children and their families had gathered to engage in the increasingly subversive act of staying hydrated.
The IDF, in its statement, reiterated that it “regrets any harm to uninvolved civilians” and “works to mitigate harm as much as possible”—a phrase which, over the past few months, has begun to sound more like a seasonal weather forecast than an apology.
Ten people were reportedly killed, six of them children. Seventeen others were wounded, some severely. Blood stained the water containers, which, one assumes, will now also be classified as a legitimate military target due to their proximity to “potential threats.”
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the enclave, additional Israeli strikes brought Sunday’s total death toll to 19. Targets included a family home and a busy market. Among the casualties: a surgeon en route to hospital and a toddler clutching an empty bottle. Presumably, both were armed with dangerous levels of hope.
As the civilian death toll continues to balloon—helped along by a cocktail of high-tech weaponry and low-tech excuses—ceasefire talks in Doha have reached the traditional “deeply stalled” phase. Negotiators are reportedly arguing over maps, withdrawal terms, and the precise definition of “cessation,” which seems to vary depending on whose drones are overhead.
Hamas, ever the optimistic party in a spiralling funeral procession, wants a return to the pre-truce boundaries. Israel, less keen, would prefer to hold on to 40% of Gaza “just for now,” presumably to see how things go. In the meantime, the US is fluttering around with something called a 60-day truce proposal, a concept as fragile as a Gazan bakery under aerial surveillance.
All of this, of course, dates back to October 2023, when Hamas launched an appalling attack on Israel that left 1,200 dead and 250 hostages taken. Since then, over 58,000 Palestinians have been killed, many of them women and children. The math is lopsided. The outrage, curiously less so.
Still, rest assured: the IDF is reviewing the incident. Investigators will doubtless compile a comprehensive report, submit it to the appropriate committee, and file it neatly in the ever-expanding archive of unfortunate mistakes that seem to define this particular brand of modern warfare.
In unrelated news, water remains scarce in Gaza. But missiles, it seems, remain plentiful.
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