Israeli strikes in Gaza: Death toll surpasses 58,000

The death toll from Israel's ongoing military campaign in the Gaza Strip has surpassed 58,000, as airstrikes continue to pummel the besieged enclave, reports Al Jazeera.

On Sunday alone, at least 95 Palestinians were killed, the majority of them women and children, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health.

The latest wave of bombardment targeted densely populated civilian areas, including a crowded market in Gaza City and a water distribution point in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

At least 17 people, including renowned physician Dr Ahmed Qandil, were killed in the market attack. In Nuseirat, an airstrike struck a group of children waiting in line for water, killing at least 10 — most of them under the age of 12.

Witnesses described scenes of chaos and devastation. "They were just children holding water cans," one resident said. “Then the explosion came out of nowhere.”

The Israeli military claimed it had been targeting a Palestinian fighter, but said the missile had missed due to a "technical error" — a claim that could not be independently verified.

The war, now in its tenth month, has compounded a deepening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. The ongoing siege and destruction of infrastructure have left most water treatment and sanitation facilities inoperable. With fuel supplies cut off, residents are forced to risk their lives to collect water from a handful of functioning stations.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza reports that 58,026 people have been killed since the conflict erupted on October 7, 2023. Over 138,500 others have been injured. The majority of the casualties, officials say, are women and children.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has raised the alarm over the deteriorating health of Gaza's children. In a statement, the agency said more than 5,800 children were diagnosed with acute malnutrition in June alone, with approximately 1,000 in critical condition.

On Sunday, another child reportedly died of hunger-related complications. "Children's bodies are melting away," UNICEF said. "This is no longer only a nutritional crisis — it is an urgent emergency for child survival."