Israeli strikes on Gaza kill over 40 as truce talks stall

Israel and Hamas accuse each other of blocking attempts to secure an agreement

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GAZA CITY - Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli air strikes on July 13 killed more than 40 Palestinians, including children at a water distribution point, as talks for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas stalled.

Delegations from Israel and the Palestinian militant group have now spent a week trying to agree on a temporary truce to halt 21 months of bitter fighting in the Gaza Strip.

But on July 12, each side accused the other of blocking attempts to secure an agreement at the indirect talks in the Qatari capital Doha.

Civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said at least 43 people were killed in the latest Israeli strikes, including 11 when a market in Gaza City was hit.

Elsewhere, eight children were among the 10 victims of a drone strike at a water point in the Nuseirat refugee camp, in central Gaza, Mr Bassal said.

Israel's military blamed a technical problem for that strike, saying it had been targeting a member of Hamas ally Islamic Jihad.

"As a result of a technical error with the munition, the munition fell dozens of meters from the target," a statement read. "The incident is under review."