When a convoy of 30 trucks was taking Egyptian aid through a “humanitarian corridor” into Gaza City on Thursday, in the presence of Israeli tanks, at least 112 Palestinians died and 760 were wounded, according to the Hamas-led Ministry of Health, which accused Israel of a “massacre”, while the Israeli armed forces denied firing on the convoy, on Friday, the 1st of January, reports the British broadcaster BBC.
The incident came hours before Gaza’s health ministry announced that more than 30 000 people had already been killed in the Israeli-Hamas war.
Israeli footage shows hundreds of people on and around the trucks, while videos posted online show bodies being loaded onto emptied aid trucks and donkey carts.
תיעוד אווירי של המבצע להכנסת סיוע הומניטארי לצפון רצועת עזה, המראה כיצד ההמון פלסטיני התנפל על המשאיות וכתוצאה מכך נהרגו עשרות מצפיפות, דוחק ודריסה>> pic.twitter.com/a7DqU9kKFB
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) February 29, 2024
Thursday’s incident took place at the Nabulsi roundabout on the south-western edge of Gaza City.
“Some began violently pushing and beating other Gazans to death, looting humanitarian shipments,” said IDF chief spokesman Daniel Hagari, “Dozens of Gazans were killed and wounded as a result of the incident.”
He said Israeli tanks “cautiously tried to disperse the crowd with a few warning shots” but retreated “when hundreds of people turned into thousands and the situation became uncontrollable”.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) denied that they had attacked the aid convoy and stressed that they were trying to help the convoy move forward. The IDF spokesperson referred to a separate incident at a checkpoint where civilians ignored warning shots, resulting in a “limited response” by soldiers who perceived a potential threat.
A Palestinian eyewitness speaking to the BBC described panic in the crowd and among truck drivers trying to move forward. Most of those killed were run over, the witness added.
Hamas rejected the IDF’s account, citing “irrefutable” evidence of “direct shelling
of the population, including shots aimed for immediate death”.
Dozens of casualties were taken to the nearby al-Shifa hospital in critical or serious condition. A man at the hospital said that Israeli soldiers opened fire “and an aid truck drove over the people”.
Two other hospitals treated other victims who, according to hospital officials, were wounded by bullets or shrapnel.
France declared that “the open fire by Israeli soldiers against civilians trying to access food” was “unjustifiable” and US President Joe Biden expressed concern that the incident could complicate mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas.
A spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he condemned the incident and reiterated his call for “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages”.
Also read: Warring parties cautious after Biden says Gaza ceasefire close
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