At least eight Palestinians, mostly children, were killed and more than a dozen were injured in an Israeli airstrike on the central Gaza Strip.

As Ukrinform reports with reference to Reuters, the Israel Defense Forces admitted that the missile did not hit its target due to a technical malfunction.

According to the military, the missile was intended to hit an Islamic Jihad militant, but it deflected and fell dozens of meters from its intended target.

The IDF regrets any harm caused to innocent civilians, the military statement said.

A rocket hit a water distribution point in the Nuseirat refugee camp. According to doctors at Al-Awda Hospital, six children were among the dead and 17 others were injured.

It is noted that negotiations underway in Qatar regarding a 60-day ceasefire brokered by the United States have reached an impasse. The dispute continues over the presence of Israeli troops in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video address on Sunday that Israel would not back down from its key demands: the release of all hostages, the destruction of Hamas, and guarantees that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.