Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli air strikes on Sunday killed at least 29 Palestinians, including six children near a water distribution point.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that Gaza City was hit by several strikes overnight and in the early morning, killing eight, "including women and children" and wounding others.

An Israeli air strike hit a family home near the Nuseirat refugee camp, south of Gaza City, resulting in "10 martyrs and several injured," Bassal said.

In central Gaza, six children were among eight people killed when a drone "hit a potable water distribution point in an area for displaced people" in the Nuseirat camp, he added.

Several other people were wounded, he said.

In the territory's south, three people were killed when Israeli jets hit a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in the coastal Al-Mawasi area, according to the civil defense spokesman.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has recently intensified its operations across Gaza. On Saturday, the military claimed its fighter jets targeted more than 35 "Hamas terror targets" in Beit Hanun, located in northern Gaza.

The ongoing conflict has displaced the majority of Gaza's population of over two million people, worsening the already dire humanitarian conditions in the territory.

Sunday's attacks came with apparent deadlock in a week of indirect talks in Qatar between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas for a ceasefire in the territory.

Deadlock in ceasefire negotiations

Despite some progress on certain issues, there have been no clear signs of a breakthrough. Israeli media reports indicate that Israeli security agencies are preparing for a potential breakdown in talks and an escalation of military action.

Qin Tian, deputy director of the Middle East Studies Department at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, explained to China Media Group that there are three core points of contention in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations: troop withdrawal, humanitarian aid, and a permanent ceasefire.

On troop withdrawal, Hamas demands that the Israeli military retreat to positions held before Israel resumed its military operations in Gaza in mid-March. However, over the past few months, Israel has expanded its de facto control over Gaza and is unwilling to give up significant areas it has secured, especially in key strategic zones. This makes reaching a compromise on this issue particularly challenging.

"Although agreement on humanitarian aid and troop withdrawal is difficult, there is still room for compromise. However, on the issue of a permanent ceasefire, Israel and Hamas are fundamentally at odds," Qin said.

He further explained that Israel and Hamas have not reached a balance of power on the battlefield, making it difficult to craft a mutually acceptable and balanced solution at the negotiation table.

The role of the U.S.

Qin also noted that the current deadlock is closely tied to the United States' long-standing lenient stance towards Israel.

"For a long time, the U.S. has adopted a permissive approach towards Israel, with weak constraints on its actions. This was evident during the recent Israel-Iran conflict, where the U.S. largely followed Israel's lead. Therefore, it is similarly difficult for the U.S. to pressure Israel into making substantive concessions in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations."

Although U.S. Middle East Special Envoy Wittekoff has arrived in Qatar, it remains uncertain whether he can facilitate any meaningful compromise between the two sides. "Overall, the prospects for a permanent and thorough resolution to the Gaza ceasefire issue do not look promising," Qin said.

(With input from AFP)